Innovation Team

CDC laboratorian demonstrates standardized environmental sampling for research. CDC PHIL photo, James Gathany.

CDC’s Office of Technology and Innovation’s Innovation Team promotes the testing and implementation of innovative ideas across the agency through a variety of programs and initiatives. This team promotes and facilitates solutions and new approaches to public health challenges through a variety of activities including:

• Coordinating CDC’s Small Business Innovation Research Program which funds U.S.-based small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) with the potential for technology commercialization. CDC’s SBIR Program targets innovations in diagnostics, data science (e.g., artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning), surveillance, occupational safety and health, and public health.
• CDC has launched a new collaborative with Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) to accelerate data science for public health impact and find solutions to data challenges.
• Facilitating innovative solutions to scientific and public health problems through open innovation tools such as citizen science, crowdsourcing, challenges, and contests. CDC’s Innovation Team helps CDC programs explore these tools and approaches through technical assistance, consultation, and access to challenge platforms.

For additional information, please contact us at OTI@cdc.gov.