Innovation Lab (I-Lab)

The CDC Office of Technology and Innovation’s Innovation Lab (I-Lab) promotes the testing and implementation of innovative ideas across the agency through a variety of programs and initiatives. The I-Lab is responsible for promoting and facilitating solutions and new approaches to public health challenges through a variety of activities including:

• Coordinating CDC’s Small Business and Innovation Research Program
• Promoting the inventiveness and creativity of the CDC community through the Innovation Fund (iFund). The iFund provides intramural funding and support to CDC staff to develop initial proof of concept ‘prototypes’ and pilot projects, or scale up more mature projects that have been proven effective through pilot or replication studies.
• Supporting the exploration and testing of new ideas. The CDC Ideation Catalyst (I-Catalyst) is an internal innovation startup program for staff within CDC that have a new idea for improving the way we work. The program provides teams methodological coaching and technical guidance within a fast-paced, entrepreneurial framework.
• Facilitating innovative solutions to scientific and public health problems through open innovation tools such as citizen science, crowdsourcing, challenges, and contests. CDC’s I-Lab helps CDC programs explore these tools and approaches through technical assistance and consultation.