While im not a republican, I am all for conservative use of funds to best serve the people who pay taxes.
The thing is that there are two types of innovative ideas: proactive ones, which require funding and opportunity to work (which often go unfunded and ignored in most fiscally conservative circles) and innovations of necessity, driven out of budget cuts. The first one, given controlled resources and data-driven development, can bring quite good results. The latter is often thrown together in spite of data, as a means to an end.
“Conservative policy” by its own design is diametrically opposed to innovation. It thrives on consistency and limiting resources, not taking chances, and restricting the purview of governments or nonprofits to use resources to explore. Also, as the conservative wing has become considerably more fixated on social conservatism rather than fiscal conservatism, the drive to have “new ideas” rather than just “fighting the woke mob” doesn’t really provide the right avenue for innovative thinking.
I identify as a liberal for the most part, but have shared many thoughts with people I disagree with on a philosophical level (such as mitt Romney and newt Gingrich, and Pence when he was still focused on governing) who had wonderful ideas of using available information to provide tailored services for less than currently used by using data and research to drive decisions. Unfortunately many times these efforts take time which in a political sphere is death because what you can do for me in a few years is heavily outweighed by “what can you do for me right now”.