R&D Labs identify new emerging compositional talent from around the country, provide opportunities for experimentation and artistic development, and through workshops, offer feedback and revision to create a new collaborative paradigm for the creation of orchestra music. These laboratories encourage the development of innovative music that stretches the boundaries of what is possible in orchestral music while supporting composers throughout the development of their projects. Composers, musicians, artistic leaders and conductors benefit from their collaboration and breadth of learning that occurs. Such recent examples of R&D Labs include 2008 and 2011 ‘Playing It UnSafe’ and the 2013 coLABoratory.