Governor Pat McCrory, alongside State Chief Information Officer Chris Estes and Secretaries Decker, Daughtridge, Wos, Kluttz, Skvarla and senior leadership team opened North Carolina’s new Innovation Center today. The iCenter is a working lab in downtown Raleigh where state employees, students, agency Chief Information Officers, private industry, and citizens will collaborate on information technology solutions. The space for the iCenter was made available by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on the ground floor of its Green Square building on Jones Street.
“Technology is the key to making state government more efficient,” said Governor McCrory. “The Innovation Center is a big step toward making state government user-friendly so that we can deliver more and improved services to citizens at a cost taxpayers can afford.”
“Try Before You Buy”
The opening marks the fulfillment of the governor’s announcement in April that the state would create a proving ground for IT programs. In keeping with Governor McCrory’s “try before you buy” policy, new technology will be tested to make sure it works before the state commits to investing in it. A state audit released in April of 2013 found that the actual costs of 84 previous projects were $356 million more than originally anticipated and took 389 days longer than expected to complete.
“The Innovation Center is about connecting people and technology in a way that allows our state agencies to deliver more projects on time and on budget,” said State Chief Information Officer Chris Estes.
Driving the Economy, Education, and Government Efficiency through Technology
The iCenter features advanced technology that will connect economic development leaders with job-creating companies around the world without leaving North Carolina. It also provides students from K – 12 schools, community colleges and universities with distance learning opportunities and hands-on experience.
Where People and Technology Meet
People and technology will connect at the iCenter to identify challenges, create solutions and transform the way state government delivers products and services. State and agency Chief Information Officers will work together to test new technologies and ensure that more projects are delivered on time and within budget. Their collaborative work will drive new technologies and innovative ideas that help North Carolina modernize its broken IT systems.
After the announcement, Governor McCrory led the media on a tour of the iCenter, where Cabinet members and state employees demonstrated technology that will improve customer service and create efficiencies in state government.