Federal research and development funds have been slashed by 15 percent since 2010, particularly in defense, which leaves today’s agency acquisition professionals more dependent than ever on industry partners for innovation, says a report released last month.
“This creates a need for government to get creative, as it is no longer in the position to drive key innovations without help from other sectors,” including corporations, academia and nonprofits, says the report, “Innovation Is a Contact Sport,” based on interviews with dozens of federal officials by the non-profit Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton.
Examples of successful collaboration include the Veterans Affairs Department’s applied physiologist at a New York hospital who tested a bionic walking-assistance system created by an Israeli company that will soon allow U.S. veterans with spinal cord injuries to wear a robotic exoskeleton.
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