GovTech Challenges

• The Lithuanian Business Support Agency (LBA) implements national strategies and programmes for the development of the Lithuanian economy and its international competitiveness, provides targeted assistance in investing support for business, research and experimental development, energy, and administers the European Union Structural Funds and the state budget. In performing its functions, the LBA engages external experts to perform expert evaluation of applications and projects requiring specific knowledge in the field of research and experimental development, innovation, technology or other specific knowledge.
• The LBA has expert service contracts with scientific institutions and direct contracts with experts. However, despite this, the large volumes of applications and the specific topics of the applications often lead to a lack of experts with a particular specialisation. Moreover, the search for experts takes up a lot of time that could already be devoted to peer review.
• To the knowledge of the LBA, some Implementing Authorities have some expert registration systems in place, but these are limited in functionality. Moreover, as an expert, it is not convenient to register in the systems of several institutions and to enter data.

• A centralised expert registration system and database needs to be addressed. In this way, experts would have a single channel through which they could register and be sure that all interested institutions would be able to find their candidature and call on them for specific expertise when needed.
• The management of a large number of expert resources also requires a solution that ensures efficient management of the expert evaluation process between the actors involved (expert, evaluator and client): communication, document exchange, management of expert workloads, storage of expert evaluation history, evaluation-rating of expert work, audit trail, and related functionalities.
• A comprehensive solution is needed to effectively manage human expert resources and to ensure the most efficient peer review process. This would save staff time and money, shorten application/project evaluation timeframes, and bring investment to project promoters faster. It would also increase the motivation of experts to get involved in the system and to participate in peer reviews.

Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners:

• 1st prize – 11 000 EUR
• 2nd prize – 5 000 EUR
• 3rd prize – 3 800 EUR

The deadline for receipt of projects or applications for participation is 27.10. 2021, 9:30.

For a detailed description of the challenge and the call for projects, please visit the Central Public Procurement System (CVP IS).