The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Network, on Innovation Policy in the Public Sector (OPSI) took place in Dublin, on April 8 and 9 2019, at the invitation of the Irish Government. Greece was represented by the Head of the Innovation and Best Practices Unit of the Ministry of Administrative Reconstruction, as long as the Unit is part of the international network.
The meeting was also attended by the Head of the General Directorate of Public Organizations of the Ministry, as well as representatives from 23 countries, members of OECD.
The meeting aimed at boosting cooperation on issues concerning the enhancement of systemic innovation in national public administrations and its dissemination through solid models and new methodology approaches. In this context, a workshop took place, aiming at training national innovation leaders, according to the model developed by OECD Technical Services and which can be a tool for innovation units, in order to enhance the innovation capacity of public services and their public administration.
This model is at a pilot stage, in the northern European countries and very soon, in the second half of 2019, it will also be carried out, in the first public services of Greece, via innovation labs.
The meeting gave prominence to a cooperation framework among states, according to their priority areas for the following year. The Innovation and Best Practices Unit has submitted, within its scope, a project concerning the development of the strategy implementation of artificial intelligence in public services and is a part of the group of countries such as Norway, Estonia, Italy and Sweden, which have, thanks to their priority, completed their strategy. The countries that make up the group are aiming to jointly develop the next steps by exchanging practices in order to enhance the knowledge and experience of each country.
In this context, the Innovation and Best Practices Unit will also be cooperating, at national level, with the OECD Innovation Observatory, to carry through the study for the development of the tool and strategy, necessary to strengthen the capacity of national administrations in the management and prevention of issues, arising from digital technologies.
Additionally, the OECD Declaration on Public Sector Innovation was presented, which is expected to constitute an official OECD text, after the Ministers’ Council approval, in May 2019. The Declaration will be communicated by the Ministry of Administrative Reconstruction, at national level, immediately after its official approval, in order to provide the basis for the creation of favorable innovation environment in Greek public organizations, according to the guidelines issued by the Innovation and Best Practices Unit.
Finally, the meeting brought out the forthcoming OECD model for the analysis and diagnosis of the innovation capacity in the public sector of the states, which upon completion, will be the analysis tool that can be used by public organizations, seeking to change and enhance their Innovation capacity.