2014 was the final year of the Complex Challenges – Innovative Cities (CCIC) project, which began in January 2012 as a partnership among 14 organisations from 10 different EU countries. It was supported by the INTERREG IVC Programme and the Bulgarian Ministry of Regional Development, and was targeted at municipal and regional authorities across Europe, exploring opportunities for successful and sustainable governance of public sector innovation on a local and regional level. As the only partner that is not a public authority, ARC Fund had a unique role in the consortium, namely to provide expertise in the field of science, technology and innovation policy-making.
The final conference of the Complex Challenges – Innovative Cities (CCIC) project took place in Genoa, Italy, on the 16th of October 2014. Among the topics that were discussed by the numerous representatives of municipalities and regions from all over Europe were the development of smart cities, the development of online platforms for citizen engagement, the quality of and access to public services, as well as areas for improvement in terms of public service provision in the different municipalities and regions. As part of the conference agenda, several p artners presented plans for transferring good practices from other municipalities and regions. Some of the issues which were highlighted in the partners’ presentations included the need for building trust between the local/regional authorities and the relevant stakeholders, the importance of leadership in promoting innovation in the public sector, and the need for close work and collaboration with citizens in developing innovative public services.
During the last Steering Committee meeting of the project partners on the following day, ARC Fund presented the draft of a Policy Recommendations Report on Public Sector Innovation on the Local and Regional Level, which is one of the project’s key deliverables. The report provides insights into how local and regional authorities can improve their innovation potential. It outlines the most pertinent project findings and formulates policy recommendations with regard to: i) regional/local level management of public sector innovation, including generation, design and implementation of innovation, as well as transfer of good practices, and ii) national and European level initiatives that can stimulate and facilitate the transfer of good practices among European regions and municipalities.
The report will be made available to the public by the end of 2014, and can be accessed on the CCIC website – http://www.ccic-project.eu.
