VHA Innovation Ecosystem

Commonwealth Supports VHA IE

Commonwealth has directly supported the VHA IE for eight years, providing the government with institutional knowledge, best practices, and stakeholder relationships to not only ensure smooth continuity of service but to support a flourishing culture of agility and continuous improvement.

Implementing Agile project management techniques allows for maximum flexibility while successfully completing deliverables and tasks. These dynamic techniques enable the team to support recurring portfolio and programming efforts, as well as support VHA IE leadership response to just-in-time internal and external data calls.

IE Portfolio

VHA Innovators Network (iNET)

iNET empowers frontline VA employees to develop and implement solutions, embedding innovation across VHA with successful VA-wide programs, such as VEText, Remote Temperature Monitoring, and 3D Printing Networks, originated within iNET, engaging over 5.5K participants in innovation workshops.

Diffusion of Excellence (DOE)

VHA Innovators Network (iNET)

Diffusion of Excellence (Diffusion) and Facilitated Replication delivers a repeatable process for rapidly scaling frontline innovations and promising practices across VA, hosting competitions such as VHA Shark Tank and The Diffusion Talent Accelerator that further strengthen employees’ skills to scale impactful innovations.

VA Innovation Fellowships

VHA Innovators Network (iNET)

VA Innovation Fellowships

VA Innovation Fellowships provide experiential learning opportunities to develop the health care leaders of tomorrow through focused innovation skill development. Initiatives include Entrepreneur in Residence for emerging VA innovators, Senior Innovation Fellowships for national-scale project implementation, and the MIT Catalyst Fellowship, which has received 143 VA applications resulting in 44 Fellows focused on clinically driven innovation.

VA Pathfinder

National Centers for Innovation to Impact

VA Innovation Fellowships

VA Pathfinder is VA's digital front door for companies and innovators to submit ideas for improving Veterans' health care, with over 670 subject matter experts across VA being recruited and are supporting the submission reviews.

Community Engagement

National Centers for Innovation to Impact

Community Engagement, enabling VA collaboration with industry, academia, and nonprofits to rapidly operationalize Veteran-focused innovations. Using VHA IE’s Federal Laboratory status, the program independently manages Innovation CRADAs at no additional cost, driving discovery, testing, and scaling of solutions, with 92 requests advancing interdisciplinary Veteran care.

National Centers for Innovation to Impact

NCi2I translates clinical research and emerging technologies into operational solutions addressing VHA’s critical health care challenges. These initiatives drive collaboration between VA medical centers, academia, industry, and nonprofits to directly enhance Veteran care.