IBM and the Ash Intitute at Harvard’s JFK School of Government Create International Award Program to Recognize Innovation in Government

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government announced today the creation of a $100,000 award program to recognize the world’s most transformative government programs.

All levels of government -- central, state, local, tribal, and territorial -- are eligible to apply for recognition of programs that cover the full scope of government activity, ranging from healthcare, education and social services to national security. To qualify for an award, innovations must reflect tangible and sustainable improvements in policy, processes, quality, timeliness or effectiveness of public services.

The “IBM Innovations Award in Transforming Government” will be administered by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The winner of the award will be selected by an executive committee of the world’s foremost practitioners of good government.The committee will accept nominations today through April 30, 2007; the recipient will be announced in the fall at a ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Innovations in American Government Awards Program.

“IBM is pleased to support the Innovations in Transforming Government award program,” said Todd Ramsey, general manager, IBM Global Government and Education. “This program will be a strong catalyst for bringing to light the best new approaches to solving the tough challenges facing governments today. We want to recognize organizations that are making game-changing improvements and share their experiences with others.”

Stephen Goldsmith, director of the Innovations in American Government Program at the Ash Institute and the Daniel Paul Professor of Government at the Kennedy School of Government, will oversee the selection process in collaboration with the executive committee. A longtime scholar and practitioner of innovation in government, Goldsmith expects the nomination process to uncover innovative approaches making government more effective and accountable.

“Increasingly, government must manage a diverse web of relationships to deliver value to citizens,” Goldsmith said, “and often this requires a profound change in the way that governments do business. I’m excited to partner with IBM to recognize the best innovations in governmental transformation worldwide.”

Nominees for the award program must demonstrate exceptional results in five key areas of innovation:


-Innovation: the degree to which the transformation demonstrates a fundamental change in the management, direction, or policy approach of a particular agency, jurisdiction, or country

-Effectiveness: the degree to which the transformation has achieved tangible and sustainable results

-Scope: the degree to which the transformation can demonstrate substantial reach and significance

-Collaboration: the degree to which the transformation demonstrates successful cooperation among internal agencies and external partners

-Transferability: the degree to which the transformation, or aspects of it, shows promise of inspiring successful replication by other governmental entities

For further information about the selection criteria, or to nominate a group, please visit www.transformationaward.org, or contact Christina Marchand, Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, at 617-495-0557 or Christina_marchand@harvard.edu.
For more information about IBM, go to: www.ibm.com.

The Roy Lila Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence in governance and strengthens democratic institutions worldwide. Through its research, publications, leadership training, global network and awards program -- developed in collaboration with a diverse, engaged community of scholars and practitioners -- the Ash Institute fosters creative and effective government problem-solving and serves as a catalyst for addressing many of the most pressing needs of the world’s citizens. The Ford Foundation is a founding donor of the institute. To learn more, please visit www.ashinstitute.harvard.edu.