A little known part of the government's response to the Gulf oil spill is to tap into the wider scientific and technical community for suggestions on its Deepwater Horizon Response website. According to the website over 20,000 suggestions have been received. Like any other open innovation system, the difficult task is sorting out the good ideas. An Interagency Alternative Technology Assessment Program workgroup has been established to screen and triage submissions based on technical feasibility, efficacy and deployability.
I think this is a great example of using the open innovation model. Of course, this hasn't stop some in the media from lampooning the idea. These critics ought to do a little homework on the sources of innovation before they glibly dismiss the effort.
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