UNCLASSIFIED ROUTINE R 152000Z JUN 16 FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC TO ALNAV INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC CNO WASHINGTON DC CMC WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS ALNAV 043/16 MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/-/JUN// SUBJ/THE NAVAL INNOVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL FY-17 PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT// REF/A/MEMO/SECNAV MEMO/21APR2015// REF/B/ALNAV 012/16 AMPN/REF A DIRECTS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NAVAL INNOVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL//REF B ESTABLISHES THE NAVAL INNOVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL AND PROVIDES INITIAL GUIDANCE FOR FY-16 IMPLEMENTATION// RMKS/1. This ALNAV provides the selection process and eligibility criteria, manning levels, Naval Innovation Advisory Council (NIAC) innovation themes/focus areas and other requirements for Fiscal Year 2017 (FY-17). 2. The NIAC is a Department-level council, comprised of Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Innovation Advisors, tasked to assist, accelerate, and enable innovation throughout the Department of the Navy (DON). NIAC Advisors consider, develop, and accelerate innovative concepts for presentation to the SECNAV and other DON senior leaders, with recommendations to synchronize senior leadership, influence the flow of resources, streamline policy, and/or remove roadblocks that hinder innovation. Collectively, the NIAC builds and maintains an effective network of military, government, academic, and private sector experts and continually assesses future operational and technological environments to identify areas of opportunity for the DON. 3. Theme and Location of Activities a. The FY-17 theme/focus area is "Design thinking for a learning organization: applying design methods to meet innovative challenges. This theme is a logical extension of FY-16's theme of Exploiting Information as the Backbone of Innovation, for design thinking incorporates the process of developing innovative ideas for testing and evaluation. b. SECNAV Innovation Advisors are assigned to east coast (National Capital Region) or west coast locations (Moffett Airfield, California). The Advisors report to the Office of Strategy and Innovation within the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy (Management) (DUSN (M)). The Naval Operational Support Center, San Jose, CA provides administrative support to Advisors located on the west coast. Advisors located on the east coast receive support from the Office of the DUSN(M). 4. NIAC Tours and Selection Process a. SECNAV Innovation Advisor tours will be 12 months for military personnel; and a minimum of six months and up to 12 months for DON civilian employees. Participation in the NIAC Program does not require an extension of service agreement beyond any to which a Service Member may already be obligated. DUSN(M) shall provide administrative support to sponsoring organizations and educational institutions to facilitate academic credit, upon request. b. To meet the timeline for FY-17, the SECNAV Innovation Advisors have already been selected by the U.S. Navy using the PERS/Navy Tours with Industry model for five Navy personnel, and by the U.S. Marine Corps using the selection process developed by Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) for four Marine Corps personnel. The selected Advisors will report between June-July. c. For FY-18 and beyond, annual guidance will be issued in the first quarter of each calendar year for the upcoming years NIAC and will include application submission procedures, manning levels, NIAC innovation themes and focus areas, and other related requirements. 5. Eligibility Criteria a. The applicant should possess the ability to independently conduct research and analysis and develop options for senior leaderships consideration. Advisors should be able to demonstrate past success in implementing new, unconventional ideas of their own, and the ability to create and sustain effective personal networks. Advisors shall be able to accomplish objectives with limited supervision and have a professional demeanor and attitude that enables positive interaction with academic and private sector experts. Possession of a four-year college degree is desired, but not required to become a SECNAV Innovation Advisor. At a minimum, SECNAV Innovation Advisors shall possess an active SECRET clearance. For research projects conducted at a higher than SECRET level, Advisors will be required to possess the appropriate level of clearance. b. SECNAV Innovation Advisors should have a passion for innovation and making meaningful change in the DON. They must be willing to break with conventional thinking and embrace outside-the-box solutions. Advisors should have a proven ability to create an innovative environment, push boundaries, achieve growth, and provide DON organizations with the tools and resources to challenge the status quo. In addition to possessing excellent communication skills, Advisors should be able to exhibit a level of expertise in one or more of the following fields: data analytics/statistics, human-centered design, emerging technological fields, economics or philosophy. 6. SECNAV Innovation Advisor Responsibilities a. Advisors are to either propose a research project or work with the Office of Strategy and Innovation to identify an individual project that will meet the objectives of the Program. b. Advisors are to submit a status report on or before the 6th calendar day of each month addressing the previous months activities. The status report shall detail the activities performed, objectives accomplished, areas of concern that may impact research, and any personal observations the Advisor may wish to share. c. Within 30 days of completion of the NIAC tour, SECNAV Innovation Advisors are to submit a research paper on their individual projects. Advisors are to also produce a collective research paper under this years theme of "Design thinking for a learning organization: applying design methods to meet innovative challenges. Due to the different nature of the research projects, Advisors shall work with the NIAC coordinator within the DUSN(M) Office of Strategy and Innovation prior to the submission on the optimal way to organize the research paper. 7. Released by Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy.// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//