Ireland - A15 - Innovation Programme

Description

Defence RTI has successfully enabled two cohorts of personnel (PDF, RDF, DoD, and Civil Defence) through our Innovation Capacity Development Programme branded as, ‘Defence Sparx’. The programme objectives have been to: i. develop innovative solutions to organisational challenges, enhancing defence capability ii. develop an innovation mindset and skills in programme participants, enhancing innovation culture Within an innovation culture domain, the programme specifically seeks to develop innovation capacity of the organisation by. • Enhancing an appetite for managed risk • Breaking down organisational silos • Developing a shared responsibility for outcomes • Unlocking intrinsic drive and motivation • Enhancing participant’s ability to perform creative problem solving, communicate persuasively, and think strategically • Equipping participants with innovation skills and tools Broadly, the programme will identify real innovation challenge themes within Defence and assign them to several small diverse teams. The teams will undergo a part-time innovation programme to equip personnel with the skills and mindset to develop solutions to the challenges. At the end of the programme, solutions will be evaluated and appraised, with fundable solutions implemented to proof of concept. A 1.3 Responsibility of the successful Tenderer(s) Based on the Defence Sparx concept, the Contracting Authority seeks proposals from interested service providers to conduct the detailed design and delivery of a Pilot Programme to Develop Innovation Capacity in the Defence. The programme will be delivered in four stages. • Stage 1: Direction, problem framing and team formation • Stage 2: Ideation and Discovery (5-7 weeks duration, part-time) • Stage 3: Validation and Evaluation (4-6 weeks duration, part-time) • Stage 4: Solution implementation For each Stage, the successful Tenderer(s) will be expected to: • Stage 1: Direction, problem framing and team formation o Design and develop, in close collaboration with the RTI Unit, an innovation capacity development programme based on the Defence Sparx concept. o Conduct internal and external context analysis of Defence, in close collaboration with the RTI Unit, to assist in the identification and framing of thematic innovation challenge areas o Conduct a one-day “Introduction to Innovation” workshop to share information on the programme with candidate programme participants (up to 40 candidates) and facilitate the formation of suitable teams with an appropriate diversity of skills and perspectives to undergo the Defence Sparx programme • Stage 2: Ideation and Discovery o Deliver an unspecified number of facilitated structured ideation and beneficiary discovery in-person workshops. o Be responsive and flexible in terms of programme delivery considering feedback. o Proactively support Defence Sparx regarding the scheduling and administration of the programme. • Stage 3: Validation and Evaluation o Deliver an unspecified number of facilitated business model development and beneficiary validation in-person workshops. o Be responsive and flexible in terms of programme delivery, considering feedback. o Proactively support Defence Sparx in regard to the scheduling and administration of the programme. • Stage 4: Solution implementation ( Optional Drawdown) o Over a 6-month period from the end of Stage 3, conduct once-monthly accountability and mentoring sessions (either virtually or in-person) with each team funded to proof of concept

Opportunity closing date

27 May 2024

Value of contract

to be confirmed