Global Development Lab Act of 2017

Global Development Lab Act of 2017

This bill establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) the United States Global Development Lab, the duties of which shall include:

• increasing the application of science, technology, innovation and partnerships to develop new solutions to end extreme poverty;
• discovering and testing development innovations to increase cost effectiveness and support U.S. foreign policy and development goals;
• leveraging the expertise, resources, and investment of businesses, nongovernmental organizations, science and research organizations, and universities to increase program impact and sustainability;
• utilizing innovation-driven competitions to expand the number and diversity of solutions to development challenges; and
• supporting USAID missions and bureaus in applying science, technology, innovation, and partnership approaches to decision making, procurement, and program design.

The lab is authorized to provide innovation incentive awards on a competitive basis that: (1) encourages and rewards the development of solutions for a particular, well-defined problem relating to the alleviation of poverty; or (2) helps identify and promote a broad range of ideas and practices, facilitating further development of an idea or practice by third parties.