b'We conceived of the Government Effectiveness Advanced Research (GEAR)Center as a nongovernmental public-private partnership that would engage researchers, academics, nonprofits, and private industry to re-imagine and realize new possibilities in how citizens and government interact. Margaret Weichertaddress evolving challenges concerning citizen interactionsmanaging cyber risks, federal employees underpin all the with the government, federal workforce skill/reskillingoperations of our government and touch nearly every aspect requirements, the leveraging of big data, and collaborationof our lives. These awards recognize not just the front-line with the private sector via grantmaking, procurement, andmission employees, but also those teams and individuals that public-private partnerships.are strengthening our country to be a more modern, effective government to better serve their fellow citizens. This year the On September 10, OMB along with GSA announced threeaward recipients include employees and teams from federal grand prize winners of the GEAR challenge. Each winneragencies, including NASA and the departments of Defense, receives an award of $300,000 each. Five honorableHealth and Human Services, Energy, Veterans Affairs, mentions were also selected from the pool of highlyAgriculture, and Transportation. This program underscores competitive applicants. The grand prize winners will focusthat the heart and soul of any federal agency are its people on such topics as cybersecurity workforce collaboration,and recognizing them is critically important. data for impact, and data and evidence for government and academic impact. Our hope is once we get the GEAR Centers fully launched, we can fund with capital that would come in from the private sector as well as from grants andTo learn more about the Office of Management and Budget,go to omb.gov.other government funding sources. To hear the interviews from The Business of Government Hour, go to On Recognizing the Federal Workforcebusinessofgovernment.org/interviews.I am very excited about the Gears of Government Award program. This program recognizes the contributions ofTo download the show as a podcast, go to PodcastOne or iTunes and individuals and teams across the federal workforce whosearch for The Business of Government Hour.make a profound difference in the lives of the American people. Whether they are defending the homeland,To view excerpts of the show, go to youtube.com/inspecting our food, making scientific discoveries, orbusinessofgovernment.28 www.businessofgovernment.org The Business of Government'