We invite motivated, curious learners to apply for the next cohort of Project Mercury. We are looking for individuals who are ready for rapid and immersive learning and are committed to building the innovation culture, competencies, and community that multinational Air and Space Forces need.
Project Mercury cohorts consist of Airmen, Guardians, joint service, and allied partners from across the globe. We will place you on a team of 5-6 individuals and set the environment for constructive conflict in pursuit of outcomes that could not be achieved individually. Be prepared to leave rank - and pretense - at the door. What matters at Mercury are the strength of your ideas and the team’s ability to think big, together.
Cohort 13 applications are open through 1 Apr 24. Participants will be admitted on a rolling basis, and notified NLT 5 Apr 24. Participants will be asked to book travel and confirm TDY funds are allocated NLT 15 Apr 24 to ensure our roster is stable.
It is imperative that participants have their commander’s support for this endeavor, not just for the unit funded TDY [May 6-10] but also for the 12 weeks that follow. During the 12 weeks after Jumpstart, a minimum of 7 hours per week is required for live virtual coaching every Tuesday afternoon (~2 hours), team meetings (~2 hours), plus asynchronous time to work on team challenges and academic requirements (3-6 hrs per week). As part of the application process, supervisors will be asked for their endorsement, TDY funding, and a solid plan for how to build that time into your week (such as protecting 2-3 time blocks per week and authorization for alternative work locations to ensure connectivity and productive collaboration).
Quick glance–Schedule and time commitment:
(a) Prework (Late April 2024) Approximately 6 hours of self-paced readings, videos, and platform familiarization is required prior to attending the Jumpstart.
(b) Orientation (25 Apr, ZOOM): This half-day teams-and-tools orientation session will set up teams for hybrid work.
(c) Jumpstart [virtual ‘Day 0’] (2 May, ZOOM): A full day of live, virtual collaboration.
(d) Jumpstart (May 6-10, TDY): This is a concentrated week of lectures, breakout sessions, creative exercises, field trips, and team formation. It is lively and immersive! Travel and lodging (TDY) will be unit funded for participants. [Location: Washington DC, specific location TBD]
(e) Acceleration (12 weeks, virtual). Asynchronous and synchronous sessions. Participants will complete online course work while simultaneously working on an experiential project with their remote teammates. The time commitment is a minimum of 7 hours per week, at a location conducive to full participation in virtual group work. Coaching and mentorship is provided throughout the course, typically 2 hours every Tuesday afternoon. An additional 2 hours per week is expected for team synch-ups and 3+ hours for independent work. This ongoing time commitment is also mandatory.
(f) Pitch: Each team will surge during the final week and pitch their solution for adoption or further development to a potential sponsor.
(g) Innovation Showcase (July 30, ZOOM): The capstone graduation event, which will be viewable on Zoom and uploaded to our YouTube channel.
The successful completion of this course will result in a credential earned through the University of Michigan College of Engineering: Certified Professional Innovator. (Air Force participants are subsequently eligible to apply for a Creative Innovation SEI.)
Up to 20% of participants will be given an opportunity to return to apprentice as Innovation Mentor-Coaches under the guidance of Dr. Jeff DeGraff, University of Michigan and Dr Ethan Eagle.
*** Before proceeding, please take 5 minutes to complete and download the iGENOME survey. The results of this innovation strengths survey will be used in team formation and throughout the course.
Link: https://portal.innovationgenome.com/
CODE: PMC13
