Best Emerging Technology Cases in the EU Public Sector
The Public Sector Tech Watch (PSTW) observatory has launched the ‘2024 Best Cases Award’. The award aims to:
- Generate a virtuous mechanism for sharing the best experiences on the use of emerging technologies (Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, etc.) in the public sector;
- Rewarding and giving visibility to the most innovative public administrations.
This award is spotlighting solutions using emerging technologies (AI, BC, etc.) in public administrations at all levels to enhance public services for citizens or to improve their internal processes. We welcome also submissions from the technological providers that supported the public administration in developing the solution (see more information on the award procedure guide).
The Evaluation Team shall evaluate the cases based on the selected categories, and the winners will be announced in the final event to be held during Autumn 2024. Discover all information, and how to apply below!
Award categories
For the PSTW 2024 Best Cases Award, two award categories are considered to recompense public sector innovation and digitalisation initiatives:
- Best Government-to-Government (G2G) solution enhancing efficiency within the administrations.
- Best Government-to-Citizen (G2C) solution improving public services for citizens.
Benefits of participation
Independently from the award competition, all the cases submitted will be added to the PSTW case collection. This will give visibility to the solution and increase the sharing of good practices.
The awarded cases will:
- Receive an official certificate issued by the European Commission
- Be invited to present their achievements at the Best Cases Award event (October 2024)
- Be promoted on the PSTW website, newsletters, and social media
While the award is non-monetary, it aims to support the uptake of the best emerging technology use cases in the European Union.
Application procedure
The steps of the application process are the following:
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Submission: The owner of the case (the public sector or technology provider side) shall submit the case until the 12/07/2024.
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Evaluation Committee assessment: The eligible cases will be evaluated by the Evaluation Committee.
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Winner announcement: The winning cases will be awarded during the formal awarding ceremony in October 2024.
Eligibility criteria
The following admission criteria define the rules of participation in the Award:
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European implementation: The submitted solution must have been implemented in an European country.
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Public sector: Solutions submitted must have been implemented within a public administration at all levels, including national, regional, or local levels. These solutions may be developed in-house or provided by external vendors.
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Joinup member account: The applicant must be registered on the Joinup platform.
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Submission tool: Joinup registered users must submit their emerging technologies use cases through this form.
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Development phase: Submitted solutions must be at least in the development or pilot stage – projects that only exist ‘on paper’ will not be accepted.
Evaluation Criteria
The eligible solutions and initiatives were assessed against the following criteria:
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Public value creation and technology adoption: The criterion assesses the extent to which the solution enhances public services quality and administrative capacity and efficiency, and the extent to which it has been adopted.
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Openness and transparency: The criterion considers how the solution enhances the openness and transparency of administration processes and operations after its implementation.
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User-Centricity, engagement, and collaboration: The criterion considers if and how the solution has prioritised the user needs and involved them in the process. It also considers the engagement of market actors such as SMEs and innovative collaboration processes.
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Scalability and reusability: The criterion gauges the potential and feasibility of the solution to be escalated and/or replicated in other public administrations, sectors, etc. It also considers reusability and availability in an open-source format.
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Technology’s innovativeness: This criterion refers to the extent to which the solution is novel with respect to existing market solutions and solves a problem in an efficient and effective way.
Timeline of the award
1 January 2024Call for submissions opens |
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12 July 2024Submissions close |
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Autumn 2024Award Ceremony |
A more detailed description of the selection process can be found in the procedure guide.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes. Cases that are already in the PSTW case collection can also be submitted and run for the Best Case Award. (Note: If the case is not submitted, it will not be eligible for the award).
Yes. Proof of Concept projects are eligible for the Best Cases Award, provided that there tangible elements for evaluation. The more developed a project is, the higher it will be evaluated against the first criterion, "Public value creation and technology adoption".
No. All categories of emerging technologies are eligible for the award. This encompasses Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Virtual Reality, Internet of Things, Automation, and so on. The more innovative the solution, the higher it will be evaluated against the fifth criterion, "Technology's Innovativeness."
This award is spotlighting solutions using emerging technologies (AI, blockchain, etc.) in public administrations at all levels to enhance public services for citizens or to improve their internal processes. We welcome also submissions from the technological providers –GovTech companies, etc., that supported the public administration in developing the solution. In these cases, the submissions must include a reference of the public administration/s where the solution was tested or implemented. Independently from the award competition, all submitted cases will be added to the PSTW case collection.