iDEAte COMPETITION 2021, DEA’s first innovation competition
Every day, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is protecting American communities from criminal drug networks that threaten our safety and our health. DEA offices worldwide are meeting this time-sensitive mission. Our success is rooted in the expertise and dedication of our workforce. Our people are our best resource.
As such, DEA formally launched iDEAte, an agency-wide, grassroots, innovation competition designed to rapidly identify data-centric solutions for our most critical challenges. There is significant opportunity to capitalize on the skills all DEA employees possess by tapping into their awareness of the existing challenges DEA faces in fulfilling our mission and creating a space to bring innovative ideas to fruition.
iDEAte is designed to:
- Build an idea pipeline with initiatives that will have a measurable impact on the mission
- Create holistic solutions for current and future needs
- Foster a culture of innovation, creativity, and collaboration to drive peak performance at DEA.
iDEAte finalists will get the opportunity to:
- Address a significant challenge they are facing in their role at DEA
- Move ideas to action to advance agency strategy
- Meet with DOJ and DEA executive leadership to present their proposed solutions
Why this, why now?
With an increasing need for innovative solutions that address existing challenges, DEA seeks to create and foster an innovation platform that will:
- Generate ingenuity and creativity in the advancement of mission and strategy
- Increase the number of individuals and teams that are contributing to organizational priorities
- Elevate new and diverse voices within an organization
- Empower and develop the next generation of leaders
- Operationalize ideas more quickly
Presentations by the finalists and judging by DEA and DOJ leadership will take place on December 14, 2021. Check @DEAHQ social media sites for live coverage of the finals and the announcement of the winner.