Seeking to honor government agencies that look for creative and innovative ways to serve the public, the Government Assistance Program (GAP) at DePaul University recently announced the call for entries for the 2005 Richard H. Driehaus Public Innovator Awards.

The awards honor public sector agencies that develop solutions which enhance service delivery, address agency problems and demonstrate measurable results in the following categories: physical design, e-governance and capacity-building. Agencies that are judged to be the winners will serve as best practice models for innovation in public service agencies in Illinois and across the nation.

In order to qualify, applicants must be members of a cross-departmental or inter-organizational team with a project based in Illinois. The project should demonstrate tangible results.

Projects of all sizes and scopes are encouraged to apply. Six winners of varying budgetary scales will each receive a $3,250 prize to continue, evaluate or enhance the project. Two winners will be selected from each category.

For more information or to access the 2005 Richard H. Driehaus Public Innovator Award application, please log on to http://www.depaul.edu/~gapweb. Applications are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16.