Summer Myatt
As research and development gains traction and funding across the federal government, organizations are taking a closer look at the R&D model and identifying where improvements need to be made.
Battelle is one such organization exploring how it can inject a new sense of speed and innovation into the traditional R&D pipeline. 2023 Wash100 Award winner Lou Von Thaer, Battelle’s CEO and president, spoke with Executive Mosaic in a new video interview to share his thoughts and insights on how R&D in the United States can change.
“We’ve spent much of our time looking at the R&D model and how we work it because we compete by discrimination — we try to do it on every contract. The goal is we want every bid we go after that’s of any size to have some technical differentiation,” Von Thaer told Executive Mosaic’s Summer Myatt regarding Battelle’s strategy.
For Battelle, updating the R&D process starts with the questions: “what are the most challenging problems?” and, “what can we do about them?” From there, Battelle assembles a Tech Council to identify promising R&D opportunities and begin low-level investments in these areas. As the investments gain traction and relevance, a sales team comes in to assess the markets and Battelle can then look at where the technologies can help solve the problems identified at the start of the process.
Find out more about Lou Von Thaer’s updated R&D model and hear his thoughts on which emerging technologies will be most impactful across the federal landscape in the coming years by watching his full video interview. Subscribe to Executive Mosaic’s YouTube channel here so you never miss an executive interview!
