ABSTRACT

Public procurement of innovation is a key policy instrument for improving the quality of public services and achieving wider benefits for society. Recently, innovation contests have re-emerged as a means to procure innovative new solutions. There is, however, limited understanding of how innovation contests should be organized in the public sector. In this study, we investigate the organization of two smart city hackathon-style innovation contests in Tampere, Finland. We examine the contests’ structure and goals, the definition of a problem statement, the motivation of potential participants, and their outcomes. We find that innovation contests may be used for, not only sourcing novel technologies, but also for engaging in conversations with companies, and developing an understanding of local problems and potential solutions. We further discuss the issues that arise from the integration of multiple goals in a single contest. We provide practical guidance for organizing innovation contests and evaluate their role for public procurement of innovation and local development.

摘要

创新的公共采购是提高公共服务质量和为社会实现更广泛利益的关键政策工具。最近，创新竞赛重新成为获得创新解决方案的一种手段。然而，对于如何在公共部门组织创新竞赛的理解有限。在这项研究中，我们调查了在芬兰坦佩雷举办的两次智慧城市黑客马拉松式创新竞赛的组织情况。我们检查竞赛的结构和目标、问题陈述的定义、潜在参与者的动机及其结果。我们发现创新竞赛不仅可以用于采购新技术，还可以用于与公司进行对话，以及了解当地问题和潜在解决方案。我们进一步讨论了在单场比赛中整合多个目标所产生的问题。我们为组织创新竞赛提供实用指导，并评估其在创新公共采购和地方发展中的作用。