Legislation to Make Permanent the Presidential Innovation Fellows Program Policy
The White House established the Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) program in 2012, in the same tradition that created the White House Fellows and Presidential Management Fellows programs. The PIF Program is built on four key principles: (1) recruit the best our nation has to offer; (2) partner with innovators inside government; (3) deploy proven private sector strategies; and (4) focus on some of
the Nation’s biggest and most pressing challenges
. In August 2015, President Obama signed Executive Order 13704, formally institutionalizing the program. Legislation has already been introduced
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and passed
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in the House to make the PIF program permanent.
Accomplishments
The PIF program has proven a successful framework for encouraging leading entrepreneurs, executives, and innovators to join the Federal Government and work in close cooperation with Federal Government leaders. Example achievements:
Making government more open
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Fellows helped design a better Data.gov to make it easier for agencies to provide data to the public, and have helped the government release over 130,000 datasets which non-profits and private companies are leveraging to create valuable new tools and services.
Ensuring access to your own health information
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Fellows worked with Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to improve data interoperability and ensure that 150 million Americans have access to their own electronic medical records.
Addressing Sexual Assault on our nation
’s campuses
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As part of a recommendation from the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, Fellows contributed to the launch of NotAlone.gov, a resource for students to learn how to respond to and prevent campus sexual assault.
Improving education access and outcomes through technology
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Fellows working at the Department of Education helped develop The Future Ready District Pledge, signed by roughly 2,000 district superintendents representing millions of K-12 students. This pledge acts as a roadmap to achieve successful personalized digital learning and ensure that 100% of public schools benefit from broadband access in the classroom.
Providing employment opportunities to veterans
- A team of Fellows working with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Labor (DOL) developed the Veterans Employment Center. This is the first interagency website connecting veterans, transitioning servicemembers, and