Lithuania Announces Launch of GovTech Initiative
On July 3rd, 2019 the Ministry of Economy and Innovation and “Create Lithuiania” announced the official launch of the GovTech Lab Lithuania initiative. The initiative seeks to connect key public sector challenges, with innovative, real-world technology solutions from the startup ecosystem
Why GovTech Lab?
The GovTech Lab brings benefits for Lithuania in two ways. “First of all, it is a possibility to look differently at the public sector problems, so that innovative teams that have never worked in the public sector offer new solutions on how to make businesses more efficient and how to maximize the societal benefits. Second, innovative businesses that will participate in this initiative will be able to test, develop and commercialise new solutions under real conditions,” says Minister of the Economy and Innovation Virginijus Sinkevičius.
Twice a year, the GovTech Lab will initiate a GovTech Challenge Series where a public sector institutions will announce a relevant problem and the start-ups, businesses or the society will be able to offer innovative technology solutions. Using the GovTech Challenge Series, institutions will be able to quickly find innovative technology solutions that are not available on the market, and will do so faster than with traditional procurement practices.
Today, a cooperation agreement on setting up the GovTech Lab has been signed by the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation, public body Lithuania Travel, public body Kaunas 2022, the Bank of Lithuania and UAB Lietuvos Energija; these establishments will become partners to this pilot project. In the future, more authorities will be involved.
The GovTech Lab will be established under the Agency for Science, Innovation and Technology (MITA) and will also act as a competence centre for enhancing the innovativeness of the public sector in the field of technology. The members of the GovTech Lab will seek to promote GovTech innovation, will carry out GovTech market investigation and analysis in Lithuania and abroad, will carry out cutting-edge technology-related activities in the public sector and will promote the uptake of innovative technologies. The GovTech Lab will be funded from the EU Structural Funds for the next 3 years.
