The potentially realizable beam power at the Fermilab long-baseline neutrino program has motivated a reinvigorated design and optimization effort for a rapid-cycling synchrotron (RCS) intensity upgrade of the Fermilab proton complex. We examine areas of technological development with the potential for high-impact on the Fermilab RCS design - low-loss slip-stacking, advanced neutrino-target R\&D, laser-stripping H$^{-}$ injection, fast-ramping super-ferric magnets, nonlinear integrable optics, electron lens devices, and next-generation halo monitors. A brief overview is given on the Fermilab Accelerator Science \& Technology (FAST) facility, where the latter three technologies will undergo comprehensive beam tests.