The American Cancer Society’s Futuring and Innovation Center is a dedicated group of Division and National staff tasked to scan the cancer environment, determine emerging and potentially important, and promote and develop staff generated innovations that move mission and improve process. Through these activities the Center is creating a central knowledge management system on The Link to update the organization and to inform debate and planning.

"Springboard" is a central nationwide initiative. The Springboard is an internal market for innovative concepts that encourages staff and volunteers at all organizational levels to submit fresh ideas for breakthrough services, improvements in business processes, as well as new technologies. Springboard collects, evaluates, and tests ideas based on a simple, four-step model.

Step One: Society staff and volunteers may submit a short idea description with supporting materials directly to the Center via fax, mail, or email. (Click here to submit an idea)

The Springboard theory: Continuous innovation can help achieve long-term, sustainable competitive advantage and help us reach our mission and 2015 goals.

Step Two: The FIC team reviews each idea against very broad evaluation criteria, and either select the idea for development or saves it in the knowledge management system. The criteria include long term financial sustainability, mission delivery, feasibility and nationwide scalability. In this review step the team looks for ideas with breakthrough potential and innovative thinking.

Step Three: Ideas that are selected will receive funding and business support to conduct a complete rapid prototype of the idea. Ideally these prototypes will last no more than 18 months. Funding ranges form $10,000 to $25,000 based on the proposal.

Step Four: After the Rapid Prototypes are complete, the FIC Team reviews the results and then determines if the prototype should be scaled up to a nationwide program. If this is the case the FIC Team works closely with the innovator and the NHO staff to insure a smooth transition and future success of the new program.