b'REFLEC TING ON THE PAST YEARS ACHIE VEMENTSCOSTARSince its introduction in 2018 in the National & HomelandEach workshop is followed by a Rapid Idea Improvement Security directorate, COSTAR has had a slow-but-steady rolloutSession (RIIS), in which participants engage in constructive at Idaho National Laboratory, expanding its scope even withfeedback. Over the course of the year, 35 RIIS sessions were the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fiscalfacilitated. These sessions allowed for hundreds of individual year 2020, INL and the Center for Advanced Energy Studiesopportunities for collaboration, strengthening ideas through (CAES) held 17 workshops involving roughly 460 employees andcognitive diversity and idea socialization.contractors. Three of the workshops were done in classrooms while the rest were held virtually using MicroSoft Teams andEveryone involved in a RIISphysical or virtualis assigned other online resources. a specific role. One person may have the task of acting as the ideas biggest champion. Another may give pointers on how Developed in Silicon Valley to foster technological innovationto improve, while others act as customers and sponsors for the at companies and laboratories, and with proven use in 42product. After a 10-minute pitch, these searchers, fulfilling countries, COSTARs aim is to improve researchers abilities totheir specific roles, talk about how to further develop the idea. share complex ideas in a concise fashion, which allows them to innovate faster. It relies on close interaction at workshops whereCAES was a new embracer of COSTAR,using it as part of its inventors and researchers are actively challenged to think aboutannual CAES Summer Visiting Faculty program, which fosters the value and long-term potential for their products.collaboration between university faculty and INL researchers, and its inaugural CAES Annual Pitch Event, also called theWhen the pandemic sent most workers home in March, theBaby Shark Tank.program pivoted to a virtual format. This involved a learning curveEach time we do a workshop, we try to learn new things,The purpose is to pick the valuablesaid facilitator Natalie Summersbut the INL Tech Deploymentideas that have the potential to beteam still met its goal of having one workshop a month. broadly impactful, Summers said. Innovation occurs at the intersectionCOSTAR is an acronym for Customer, Opportunity, Solution,of different thought types, but culturalTeam, Advantage, Results. Workshop participants are asked sixchange on this level requires strategic drivecorresponding questions: Who is the customer? What is theand enabling tools like COSTAR and RIIS.opportunity? What technology or program is being offered as a solution? Who needs to be on the team? What is the competitive advantage? What are the desired results? Ideas that are socialized are more likely to be successful. 19'