April 1, 2020

The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (MTECH) awarded a Maryland Industrial Partnership (MIPS) grant to Optimal Solutions Group (Optimal) and the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) jointly to build an automated government procurement decision support tool.  The work conducted over the next year will focus on creating a deep learning algorithm as the backend of a tool for government agencies’ […]

December 4, 2019

The MacArthur Foundation and its affiliate Lever for Change, has launched the Economic Opportunity Challenge aimed to improve the financial health of low-income individuals and families in the United States. The panel will select up to five finalists that present the best evidence-based, data-driven solution on how to improve economic opportunities for low-income families and communities in the United States. […]

April 20, 2015

In an effort to underscore the importance of healthy living and staying active, Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) encourages its employees to keep moving and provides opportunities for staff to expand their knowledge outside their subject matter. Earlier this year, Optimal held a WalkFit contest, for which groups of staff members “walked” to San Salvador, El Salvador.

November 13, 2014

2014 was a big year for reaching out to communities near and far for Optimal staffers.

November 10, 2014

Optimal’s Research Analyst Kelsye Turner will be giving a brown bag presentation on fair trade at noon on November 12, 2014.

October 16, 2014

The office of Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences (CPNAS) is hosting an exhibition of a selection of Dr. Ben Shneiderman’s treemap works.

October 6, 2014

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) started the Learning, Evaluation, and Analysis Project (LEAP) in 2011 with the goal of providing assistance to developing countries.

July 29, 2014

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)’ Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)’s Learning and Diffusion Group (LDG) awarded Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) the Learning System Data Management (LSDM) Project. Under this project, Optimal is developing a system for standardizing and collecting learning event data from each CMMI’s healthcare innovation models to meet Government Performance and Results […]

July 22, 2014

This year marks the fourth year of the Small Business Administration (SBA)’s Regional Cluster Initiative pilot program.

January 31, 2014

After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia has struggled to regain political, social, and economic stability.

January 13, 2014

Poverty has afflicted Bangladesh since its independence in 1971. Since then, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has designed and implemented projects to promote private-enterprise development and employment generation. These previous USAID-funded projects had the same goals of 1) strengthening product, market development, and market linkages; 2) promoting economy-wide and sector-level reforms; and 3) increasing lending to target firms. […]

September 9, 2013

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) held its bi-annual Education Summit from August 6 – 8 in Washington, DC.

September 9, 2013

Dr. Barbara Morgan, currently a senior lecturer and undergraduate advisor in the Department of Economics at Johns Hopkins University, will be giving a presentation on the key methodologies economists, sociologists and lawyers use to demonstrate whether or not discrimination exists in the labor market.

August 30, 2013

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in their efforts to reach out to small businesses, awarded Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal) a contract to study and prepare a report which documents the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) providers and participant characteristics. The SFSP was designed to ensure that children who benefit from the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and […]

August 5, 2013

The LEAP team conducted cost-benefit analyses (CBAs) of four agriculture-related projects in Ethiopia to assess the beneficiary, social, and financial outcomes of the following interventions: Agribusiness and Market Development (AMD), the Livestock Growth Project (LGP), Pastoralists Resiliency Improvement and Market Expansion Project (PRIME), and Graduation with Resilience to Achieve Sustainable Development Project (GRAD).

July 31, 2013

Scott Dempwolf, currently an Assistant Research Professor in the University of Maryland, Economic Development University Center will be presenting his dissertation on regional innovation clusters on Wednesday, July 31st  at 12 noon at Optimal Solutions Group, LLC (Optimal’s) office in M Square Research Park, Maryland. 

July 3, 2013

In an effort to sustainably reduce poverty and hunger through its Feed the Future (FtF) global initiative, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) works with host governments, development partners, and other stakeholders to address the root causes of global hunger. The initiative seeks to: 1) facilitate efficient market systems to meet the growing demand for food; 2) increase […]