From Bench to Mission: Designing Internal Innovation Programs in Federal Labs

In many federal labs, groundbreaking research often stops short of realizing its full mission or commercial potential. Internal innovation and intrapreneurship programs bridge this gap by equipping scientists and engineers with the tools, context, and confidence to engage markets and partners directly.  

This session explores proven models for designing and scaling innovation programs that empower researchers, improve technology transfer outcomes, and strengthen mission alignment. Drawing from FedTech’s experience leading intrapreneurship and commercialization accelerators across defense and civilian agencies, participants will gain a framework to build impactful, sustainable programs that shift lab culture toward innovation and engagement.  

Participants will leave with:  

1. A roadmap to design and implement lab innovation programs  

2. Templates and examples for researcher engagement frameworks  

3. Lessons from federal labs that have launched successful intrapreneurship initiatives  

4. Practical guidance on aligning innovation efforts with lab missions 

Justin Mahan, FedTech