BOOSTING INNOVATION

IN CITIES TO DELIVER
BETTER PUBLIC SERVICES
A VIEW FROM TOMORROWS LEADERS

College of Europe Student Case Studies

Final Report 2015
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2 The European Centre for Government Transformation

4 College of Europe Student Case Studies: Introduction

6 Foreword by Neelie Kroes

7 Foreword by Professor Olivier Costa

8 Foreword by Bernard Le Masson

9 Foreword by Paul Hofheinz

12 Case Study: Promoting Circular Economy in High Density Paris,

Through Improved Accessibility, Governance,
Communication and Financing

14 Case Study: Designing the Expansion of Micro-Distribution within

Macro-Blocks to Enhance Barcelona's Mobility Strategy at a Local Level

16 Case Study: Helping the City of Espoo Develop its Public AppLab
to Drive the Crowd Towards Public-Sector Innovation

18 Case Study: Enhancing Groningen Smart Users City Strategy

by Enabling the City Government to Develop a Partnering Role
in Business Development and Users Engagement

20 Acknowledgments

22 About Us

The opinions expressed in the case studies are those of the individual student teams, and do not necessarily reflect the
views of Accenture, the College of Europe, the Lisbon Council, the Government Executive Innovation Circle or any
of their associates.

BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE PAGE 1

THE EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR
GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION
The 21st century is a time of unprecedented challenge and great opportunity

The European Centre for Government Transformation
strives to shape a high performing and innovative
public sector, enabling the delivery of sustainable,
modern and high-quality public services. It provides a
unique and multi-stakeholder platform for constructive
dialogue, exchange of best practices and formulation
of innovative solutions. This network of frontline
practitioners, change agents and thought leaders
is complemented by ground-breaking research and
analyses in an effort to shape and inform policy
developments and the government of the future a
transformation in the way governments do business.
Founded in 2009 as a European research centre and
practitioner-driven community, the European Centre
for Government Transformation is dedicated to
providing pragmatic and actionable solutions designed
to help government agencies and other public service
organisations improve the social, economic and health
outcomes of the people they serve through delivery of
high-quality public services. It is a new kind of ideas
and solutions hub that recognises the interdisciplinary
nature of state transformation and public sector
modernisation. Its three founding partners Accenture,
the College of Europe and the Lisbon Council bring
a broad range of experiences and knowledge to this
fast-growing community, contributing expertise and
providing guidance to the debates and ensuring broad
dissemination for the ideas developed in these fora.

Mire Geoghegan-Quinn, European commissioner for research, innovation and science (2009-2014),
addresses The 2014 European Centre for Government Transformation Award Ceremony

PAGE 2 BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE

Our Activities

Thematic High-Level Roundtables on

- Digital Government
- Employment and Skills
- Sustainable Public Finances
- Public Procurement
- Collaborative Border Management

Collaboration with the European Commissions Research and Innovation

Directorate-General
- Roundtable on Public Sector Innovation
- Launch of the Final Report by the Expert Group on Public Sector Innovation
- Fringe Session on Public Sector Innovation at the Innovation Convention

Annual European Summits for Government Transformation and Award Ceremonies

Landmark Publication Delivering Public Service for the Future: How

Europe Can Lead Public-Sector Transformation, a unique collection
of thoughtful essays on the future of public-sector reform and state
modernisation by 12 of Europes leading thinkers and policymakers

Executive Briefings on Key Themes, such as Employment and Skills,

Digital Government, Public Procurement and Public Service Innovation

Research Study Driving Public Entrepreneurship: Government as a Catalyst for

Innovation and Growth in Europe, published in collaboration with Oxford Economics

Rolf Alter from the OECD, Latvian Government CIO Arnis Daugulis, UK Minister Francis Maude and
Greek Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at The 2014 European Summit for Government Transformation

BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE PAGE 3

COLLEGE OF EUROPE STUDENT CASE STUDIES:
INTRODUCTION
Tomorrows Leaders Evaluate Todays Challenges
In 2014-2015, 16 students from the College of Europe
were competitively selected to take part in a project
on public sector transformation. They were divided
into four teams of four students. Working together
with Accenture, the staff and faculty of the College of
Europe and the Lisbon Council, each team was asked
to evaluate the challenges of a city, chosen among
the finalists of the European Capital of Innovation
iCapital Award, awarded by Mire Geoghegan-
Quinn, European commissioner for research, innovation
and science, in June 2014. The selected cities are:
Paris, France; Barcelona, Spain; Espoo, Finland; and
Groningen, the Netherlands. Each team visited the
administration they were evaluating to learn about
the particular challenges they faced, and ultimately
help them to better understand their public sector
challenges and improve their innovation strategies.
PAGE 4 BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
In completing this project, the students were coached
by a team of top transformation managers at
Accenture, the global management consultant firm, as
well as by the Government Executive Innovation
Circle, a leading practitioner and policy community
committed to developing and implementing solutions
to pressing public service issues. Members of the
Government Executive Innovation Circle met with the
students in Brussels in February 2015 and later agreed
to evaluate the case studies, awarding a prize to the
best of them. Later in the spring, the case studies were
presented in Bruges at a major policy event, where
the winning team received The 2015 Public Service
Innovation Award.
GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE INNOVATION CIRCLE
Neelie Kroes
Chair, Government Executive
Innovation Circle
Special Envoy, StartupDelta, the Netherlands
Former Vice-President of the European
Commission for the Digital Agenda
President, State Transformation Case
Studies Jury
Members:
Michele Chang
Professor, Political and Administrative
Studies, College of Europe
Olivier Costa
Professor and Director, Political and
Administrative Studies, College of Europe
Peter Drll
Acting Director, Innovation Union and
European Research Area, DG Research and
Innovation, European Commission
BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
Paul Hofheinz
President and co-founder,
The Lisbon Council
Frank Leyman
Manager, International Relations,
Information and Communication
Technology Federal Public Service (Fedict),
Belgium
Bernard Le Masson
Global Managing Director, Public Service,
Accenture Strategy
Fernando de Pablo Martn
Adviser, Planning and Institutional
Relations, Tax Agency / Office for the
Execution of Administrative Reform of the
Ministry of the Presidency, Spain
PAGE 5

It was when a 14-year-old boy who was showing his
inventions and sharing his discoveries told me I was
old fashioned for advising him to keep his ideas to
himself that something suddenly clicked into place in
my mind. From that moment on, I realised how much
the young generation is into sharing, co-creating and
peer-reviewing, and how dynamic and profoundly
good it is for their development as individuals, and
also for the economy. From that moment on, I
decided to listen far more carefully to the experiences
and advice of young people.
As vice-president of the European Commission, it was
vital for me to immerse myself with this generational
mindset and to surround myself with talented,
successful young minds that could show me the
world through their eyes and share with me pertinent
suggestions on how to help the digital economy
advance in Europe. I therefore set up a group called
the Young Advisers, a circle of 23 inspiring young
people who were actively involved in shaping
the digital society, and I must say I tremendously
benefited from their valuable advice during my
mandate advice that I still remember, carry and try
to apply in my new responsibilities.
Today, Im more than happy to serve as president
of the jury evaluating state transformation case
studies completed by 16 students from the political
and administrative department of the College
of Europe. For eight months, they worked very
hard to identify and scope the challenges faced
by four European innovative cities, met with the
representatives of public-sector agencies as well as
PAGE 6 BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
FOREWORD
By Neelie Kroes
Chair, Government Executive
Innovation Circle
Special Envoy, StartupDelta, the Netherlands
Former Vice-President of the European
Commission for the Digital Agenda
President, State Transformation Case
Studies Jury
with European Union officials, benchmarked the
performances of departments and came up with
refreshing and exciting ideas for the modernisation
of these four administrations. As a professional
who ran public departments during two mandates
at the European Commission, I can tell you I was
very impressed by the novelty and the audacity of
the students recommendations to transform public
sector departments and help them prosper in the
21st century!
Also, as the special envoy for StartupDelta in the
Netherlands, and as a person who firmly believes in
the power of self-realisation and a proactive attitude,
I was thrilled to read that most of the student
proposals all included a certain appeal to bold action
and even risk-taking. Im convinced that a willingness
to take risks is one of the most significant and
powerful things this new generation needs to shape
a future where they can thrive, a future where they
might well create their own jobs rather than wait for
others to provide them with one, a future where they
will contribute to and benefit from a more connected
and digitalised economy, a future where they will
be actors and authors of their own successes and
achievements. The fact that the College of Europe
students included this dimension in their work on the
case studies reassures me that the young generation
holds the keys to a better and more flourishing
tomorrow. I hope you will enjoy reading the College
of Europe student case studies over these next few
pages and that they will inspire you as much as they
inspired me.
FOREWORD
By Professor Olivier Costa
Director of Political and Administrative
Studies, College of Europe

More than a third of the recent alumni of the
department of political and administrative studies of
the College of Europe work in the public sector, at all
levels: international, european, national, regional, local.
The attitude of the new generation of European Union
specialists towards public services has indeed changed.
Obviously, they no longer consider that it is
embarrassing to work in the public-sector. The
unconditional fascination for private companies
experienced in the 1980s and the 1990s seems over.
The public sector no longer looks obsolete, conversely,
the private one is not seen as the only place for
professional self-fulfilment. This can be understood, to
some extent, as a result of the economic and financial
crisis. In times of worries, it is legitimate for young
workers to be sensitive to the stability offered by a
position in a public organisation. But there is more.
The crisis has also demonstrated that public services
play a key role in contemporary European societies, as
social and economic stabilizers, and the only wealth of
the least privileged citizens. The importance of public
services is also one of the most prominent peculiarities
of the European Union socio-economic model.
The attention paid by the new generation to the
public sector probably also reveals a drift in its values
and objectives. Today, its priority is not so much the
income level or the prestige linked to the function,
but a complex mix of working conditions, stability
and quality of life, as well as noble goals, such as
contributing to missions of general interest. The
renewed interest of young postgraduates for public
services and institutions thus comes at a price. On the
long run, they do not want to settle for a position only
because it is secure and decently paid: they also need
it to be stimulating, challenging and helpful to the
community. The future European leaders have a strong
interest for public services and public institutions, but
want to shape them, to transform them, to participate
in their modernisation process. They expect to
adapt public action to the evolutions of society and
technology, because they do not consider that action
and change are the privilege of private companies.
This is undoubtedly the reason why the students of the
department of European political and administrative
studies of the College of Europe are so interested in
the European Centre for Government Transformation.
Of course, they are motivated by the idea of gaining
some professional experience, working with skilled
consultants, meeting high-level political and
administrative leaders, and participating in an overall
exciting project. But beyond that, they are also driven
by the objective of contributing to the reform of public
services and to the development of new projects by
public authorities.
Each year the European Centre for Government
Transformation initiative attracts more students, with
a constantly rising number of applications. With the
on going support of Accenture and the Lisbon Council,
16 students of the department had the great privilege
to work once more on public service reform projects
that are being undertaken in four different european
countries. They have enjoyed receiving advice and
training from high-level professionals who were most
generous and accommodating in giving of their time
and sharing their insights.
The College of Europe, which has been preparing
young Europeans for leadership functions since 1949,
in both private and public sectors, is most grateful to
Accenture and the Lisbon Council for such opportunity.
We are also very proud of our students who worked
on their projects on top of a highly demanding study
programme at the College. This year again, they have
shown that it is possible to support the european
conception of public services by creative thinking. We
hope that their analyses and proposals will be valuable
contributions to this end.

BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE PAGE 7


Europe is at the crossroads of major shifts in the
structure of its polity, its society and the public service
model. The increasing demand for services led by an
aging society, and a tech-savvy citizenry, coupled with
a strain on the public purse have triggered the need
for transformation. No matter which way we look at
it, digital is one of the disruptive forces both driving
this change, as well as presenting opportunities to
make a step change in the way services are delivered.
In this context of transformation, cities have been
at the forefront of innovation and entrepreneurship
in Europe. Striving to enrich citizens lives and bring
about sustainable economic growth, leading cities
have rightfully recognised the importance of adapting
and experimenting with new service models.
Cities in Europe have both been catalysts and
accelerators for change. Most notably, the major
efforts of Barcelona, Groningen, Paris and Espoo
to enable, inspire and nurture innovation within
their communities are remarkable examples of cities
striving to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive
growth. Also recognised as the four finalists in the
first European Capital of Innovation competition, they
were chosen by the European Centre for Government
Transformation to further the ambitions of their public
administrations to dive into the issues, learn from
global best-practice and propose a concrete roadmap
for change.
PAGE 8 BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
FOREWORD
By Bernard Le Masson
Global Managing Director, Public Service,
Accenture Strategy
The transformative solutions proposed by the 16
students of the College of Europe encompass
expanding the circular economy (Paris), developing
more sustainable logistics and distribution of goods
coming into the city centre (Barcelona), channelling
the energy of the startup community and innovation
ecosystem to design better public applications (Espoo,
Finland) and creating a smart users city on energy
and active aging (Groningen). These are all pressing
issues that we see in our societies and communities
around us today and it is a tremendous opportunity
for the young generation to apply themselves to
address these issues. Their ideas promote sustainable,
smart and inclusive innovation which has user-
centricity and citizen empowerment at its core.
We are now at a pivotal juncture whereby public
service leaders have the chance to make it simpler,
clearer and faster for people to receive the services
that they need by taking advantage of the profound
changes and opportunities brought about by Digital.
The innovative solutions coming through the case
studies have demonstrated that if leaders have a
strong vision and a conviction to make the change,
they can put their cities on the path to higher
competitiveness, growth and improved quality of
life for their citizens. As innovation-led growth is
key to Europes future prosperity, governments need
to encourage and empower the young leaders of
tomorrow in making innovation culture a desirable
aim in european cities.
FOREWORD
By Paul Hofheinz
President and co-founder,
The Lisbon Council
The Chinese word for crisis is composed of two
characters: one means problem and the other
means opportunity.
That is the spirit I see flowing through these four
excellent essays. Europe and the world are
emerging from a prolonged economic crisis: one
where the handy shibboleths of yesterday ceased to
provide ready answers for tomorrow. But the moment
is also fraught with possibility unlike any other. People
are living longer, healthier lives, the result of vast
improvements in public health on a global scale. Our
social systems, despite some evident shortcomings,
are more deeply developed than ever before. And
technology has brought us all much closer together.
Indeed, we now have a unique chance of managing
the world in a smarter, better way, drawing on the
deep social and technological advances of recent
decades, and moving more quickly to integrate much
of what we already know into our daily lives.
But who will perform this most urgent and vital task?
We will, we say. But so will the leaders of tomorrow,
and it is to them that we turned for inspiration in
this ground-breaking study on the challenges and
opportunities of state transformation. We wanted
to know, what do young, intelligent, vibrant minds
see when confronted with the challenges we face.
What solutions are obvious to them that might not
BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
be so obvious to us? And how can we work with
them facilitating an inter-generational exchange of
knowledge and experience in ways that will help
bring prosperity closer to a wider, broader range
of people, and set the platform for a better, more
citizen-centric world of tomorrow.
The answers they came up with are inspiring:
promoting the circular economy in a high-density
area through improved accessibility, governance,
communication and financing; enhancing smart
mobility via the expansion of micro-distribution in
macro-blocks; developing a Public AppLab designed
for the city population and aimed at delivering more
and better public services; and shaping a smart users'
city strategy through the partnership between local
authorities and the business community. It has been
a privilege to watch this unique collaboration grow
and deepen over the last five years, and I want to
warmly thank the students of the College of Europe,
the analysts from Accenture and the friends and
colleagues who agreed to serve on the jury, which
evaluated these studies. You have given so generously
of your time and wisdom. It can be a better world,
but it is up to us to build it. That is the message the
students are sending; and it is the message I want to
leave with you as well.
PAGE 9
PAGE 10 BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
 CASE
STUDIES
Promoting Circular Economy in High-
Density Paris, Through Improved
Accessibility, Governance, Communication
and Financing

Designing the Expansion of Micro-

Distribution within Macro-Blocks to Enhance
Barcelona's Mobility Strategy at a Local Level

Helping the City of Espoo Develop its Public

AppLab to Drive the Crowd Towards Public-
Sector Innovation

Enhancing Groningen Smart Users City

Strategy by Enabling the City Government
to Develop a Partnering Role in Business
Development and Users Engagement

BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE PAGE 11


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The circular economy concept is a response to the
aspiration for sustainable growth in the context of the
growing pressure of production and consumption on
the worlds resources and environment.
Fostered by a green and strong engagement
towards the economy, the Economic Development
Department of the City of Paris supports ground-
breaking companies and start-ups in the French
capital. It aims to maximise the use of Paris resources
by developing circular economy policies in line with
the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
In Paris, the dominant business model of food waste
recycling is the composting system where households
can sort their food waste in large containers. This
approach offers a green tool of waste disposal but
leaves aside the prospect of sustainable growth and
economic stimulation.
PAGE 12 BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
CASE STUDY
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Client:
City of Paris (Economic Development
Department), France
Objective
Promoting Circular Economy in High-Density
Paris, Through Improved Accessibility, Governance,
Communication and Financing
Team
Marie Buchet (France)
Janusz Linkowski (Belgium)
Arne Schneider (Germany)
Natacha Tullis (France/ United Kingdom)
Hence, Paris should think further and scale-up
innovative and ambitious projects. The collection
of used cooking oil in private households is an
encouraging archetype and a scale-up opportunity of
an existing model. This revolutionary conception relies
on the combination of environmental concerns and
smart growth.
Engaging Paris in circular economy goes beyond
improving waste management policies, embedding it
into a larger strategy that improves the citys resource
efficiency, carbon impact and citizens' quality of life.
Recommendations were developed in four different
areas to assist Paris progress in promoting circular
economy.
Accessibility
Paris lacks available space to implement collecting
solutions. Equipping households with a small
container to collect the used cooking oil is a practical
solution to this issue. Restaurants, already integrated
in collection itineraries and legally obliged to collect
their oil, can serve as collecting points and use this
service as part of their advertising strategy. Moreover,
the expansion of the existing collecting system of
semi-fixed trucks will reinforce accessibility.
Governance
Circular economy is a challenge for the public
administration, as new forms of cooperation between
departments with an economic or environmental
orientation are necessary. These actors should interact
on a regular basis to strengthen interdepartmental
ties. In addition, Paris should set up its own
representation to the EU to be able to identify and
respond to developments at the European level
rapidly and spread its strategy towards other cities.
BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
Communication
Building on an existing waste reduction campaign,
everyone should be informed about the opportunities
of circular economy and the collecting of cooking
oil. Therefore, an informative application that helps
to find collecting points via geolocation and a label
for participating restaurants improve the on-going
campaign. Additionally, incentives such as an oil
collecting competition between districts and a
transparent overview over the performance of public
institutions complete this large-scale campaign.
Finance
To tackle its financial obstacles, Paris should facilitate
companies to spot financing possibilities via an online
platform. Furthermore, public-private partnerships
can stimulate economic growth and co-operation
between the administration and companies and
simplifies the introduction of household containers
for the collecting of used cooking oil.
PAGE 13

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
European cities are under pressure to reduce
congestion and air and noise pollution. With urban
freight accounting for 6% of all greenhouse gas
emissions, reducing the impact of deliveries in cities
is a key way of achieving this objective. The City
Council of Barcelona has piloted a micro-distribution
scheme, swapping ordinary delivery vans for electric
cargo-bikes in the historic city centre. The next step
is to expand it to other areas of the city, seizing the
opportunity to offer new services in a tailored way to
macro-blocks. These living units of the city are central
to policy design in Barcelona.
PAGE 14 BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
CASE STUDY
SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY
Client:
City Council of Barcelona, Spain
Objective
Designing the Expansion of Micro-Distribution within
Macro-Blocks to Enhance Barcelona's Mobility Strategy
at a Local Level
Team
Hermione Mackay (United Kingdom)
Valentin Fabre (France)
Liliana Mateus Caraa (Portugal)
Luis Alvarado Martnez (Spain)
We studied the pilot scheme and identified three
main issues which might affect its expansion. Firstly,
there are problems with the flow of information
between stakeholders. Secondly, only one service
was on offer, with a limited group of businesses
benefitting from the scheme. And finally, only one
area of Barcelona was served by micro-distribution.
Using benchmarking with eight other European
cities, an analysis of the pilots strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats, stakeholder and supply
chain mapping and interviews at the European
Commission, we developed policy recommendations
to deal with these issues and set out an
implementation timetable.
First Step Improving the flow of Third Step Ensuring that the
information model is economically sustainable
We propose a new strategy for communicating With the pilot only making use of central distribution
with stakeholders in the micro-distribution scheme. hubs and only delivering packages in one area of the
This will improve the understanding of key actors city, we recommend the use of peripheral hubs and
of the needs of businesses and citizens. It will also an expansion to other macro-blocks. This is a complex
promote the Barcelona model at the EU level. This model, so we laid out a two-step implementation
includes roundtable meetings between the City plan. Finally, we recommended for expansions
Council of Barcelona and major logistics providers to to be focused in areas which already have traffic
emphasise the benefits of micro-distribution and a restrictions in place, making it difficult for logistics
public consultation on expansion in areas with traffic providers to make deliveries in ordinary vans. This is a
restrictions already in place. major incentive to use micro-distribution and one of
Barcelona City Councils most powerful tools.
Second Step Adding new
services and actors
The benchmarking exercise demonstrated the range
of services which can be offered as part of a micro-
distribution model: waste collection, laundry delivery,
office deliveries and e-commerce deliveries. We
examined the cost and feasibility of each of these
services, determining where in the city there was
demand for them and who the new customers would
be. Implementing these proposals will mean that the
full benefit of the model can be realised.

BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE PAGE 15


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Public service provision today requires fresh thinking
in the face of contemporary challenges, such as the
increasing demand for user-centric services and the
constraints on public sector resources. Collaboration
between the public sector, private sector and citizens
has been singled out as the means of tackling these
challenges, as well as the vision for the future of
public sector.
The city of Espoo hosts a vibrant innovation
hub driving growth and prosperity in the region.
This hub, known as the Espoo Innovation Garden, is
home to a dynamic startup community, established
multinational enterprises and an energetic and
PAGE 16 BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
CASE STUDY
DIGITAL INNOVATION
Client:
City of Espoo, Finland
Objective
Helping the City of Espoo Develop its Public
AppLab to Drive the Crowd Towards Public-
Sector Innovation
Team
Elisa Cencig (Italy)
Katherine McKeon (Ireland)
Etienne Olsina (France)
Sonja Outila (Finland)
forward-thinking student population. The citizens of
Espoo are also highly educated and digitally savvy.
Thus, Espoo has excellent resources at its fingertips;
however, the potential of this ecosystem has yet to be
fully harnessed for the innovation of public services.
In order to overcome these challenges, we were
given the task by the City of Espoo to design Public
AppLab. This is a framework for collaboration
between the city, citizens and the business
community, in order to develop innovative solutions
especially in the fields of education, health, and
elderly care. Public AppLab will be a community-led
initiative aiding in the development of solutions
through the following recommendations.
Identifying Challenges
Public AppLab will have its own social networking
website, where users will identify challenges and
initiate discussion regarding pressing issues for the
city. A rating system will permit the crowd and the civil
servants to single out the best ideas. Public AppLab
will also organise events at its headquarters and
throughout the city to foster debate around priorities.
Developing Solutions
In this phase Public AppLab will enable startups
and businesses to solve the previously identified
challenges, with solutions truly tailored to the needs
of the end-user. This will occur using a set of tools
and methods both online and throughout Espoo,
such as:
matchmaking and networking
crowdsourcing
co-creation
workshops and mentoring
prototyping
BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
Securing Investment
This stage aims at finding the necessary investment
for initiatives to kick-off. Crowdfunding on the
website will be an option reflecting the grassroots
nature of Public AppLab. Public AppLab will also
organise flagship competitions, where initiatives
compete for financing from the Bank of Investors,
a network of serial entrepreneurs and business
angels. The city will also procure some solutions
through new public procurement practices such as
innovation partnerships.
Financing and Organisation of
Public AppLab
Public AppLab will be financially independent from
the city. Sponsorship will be one revenue stream
comprised of small-sized contributions from a large
network; other streams include advertising contracts
and revenues from service fees. The organisation
will be lean and cost-effective the full-time core
team (2-3 people) will be in charge of daily co-
ordination, aided by a network of experts and serial
entrepreneurs, student interns and civil servants
seconded on an ad-hoc basis.
These features will provide new business
opportunities and enable fruitful collaboration for
the delivery of better services. Public AppLab will
therefore make Espoo a showcase for public sector
innovation in Europe and globally.
PAGE 17

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Groningen brings an original and fresh approach to
a Smart City by placing the citizens at the heart of
its development. In this line, the city aims to deliver
high-quality innovative services for the benefit of its
inhabitants and businesses.
The city has already developed numerous successful
and pioneering Smart City projects and has succeeded
to make itself known for them on a national as well
as European level. However, the client, Groningen
City Government, has been faced with the challenge
of creating a common playing field so that all actors
contribute jointly to the development of a unique
PAGE 18 BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
CASE STUDY
SMART CITY
Client:
Groningen City Government, the
Netherlands
Objective
Enhancing Groningen Smart Users City
Strategy by Enabling the City Government
to Develop a Partnering Role in Business
Development and Users Engagement
Team
Risin Carlos (Ireland)
Crispin Menp (Finland / Ireland)
Tiphaine Milliez (France)
Amanda Orza (Serbia)
Groningen Smart Users City and subsequently scale
up these internal successes at the EU level. Our public
sector reform challenge, therefore, was to develop
a Smart Users Engagement Strategy in line with the
city's user-centric vision of their Smart City, while also
taking into account its main goals of encouraging job
growth, economic development, and innovation.
After conducting interviews with stakeholders
and businesses in the city of Groningen, an online
survey targeting the citys early adopters, and a
benchmarking study of other European Smart
Cities, we put forward three sets of complementary
recommendations for Groningens city government.
Internal Dimension
Internally, we propose to stimulate the development
of a Groningen-specific ecosystem, characterised by
enhanced cross-sectoral business co-operation and
strengthened links with the users. Firstly, on the level
of businesses, we recommend creating a GroSmart
Platform and GroTogether networking events, two
complementary online and face-to-face activities
increasing the visibility of businesses and assisting
them in finding partnerships. Secondly, in order to
encourage and incorporate the direct involvement
of the early adopters and dedicated individuals, we
advise to establish a GroFirst FrontRunners group. In
order to streamline the concerns of the wider public
into a single voice, we suggested the introduction
of 'Your Priorities' e-democracy platform. Thirdly,
we recommend showcasing the internal successes
of Groningen, with the promotion of G-branding
for businesses and renaming the city WiFi to
SmartGrongingen in order to raise the profile of
Groningen as a Smart City within the country.
BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
External Dimension
The external dimension seeks to promote the internal
successes to lead towards international recognition for
the citizens and businesses, creating a sense of city
pride. This also serves to stimulate lesson learning and
exchange of know-how with other smart cities and
establish partnerships. On this note, we recommend
promoting Groningens Smart City across Europe
through City Mapping i.e. identifying compatible
smart cities with learning and partnership potential,
and engaging with the EU Cluster Portal.
Horizontal Dimension
Lastly, to ensure adequate implementation of the
strategy, we propose a third horizontal dimension.
Namely, by introducing measures of successes, we
assure the sustainability of the activities conducted
under the Smart Users' Strategy. On this note, we
recommend to introduce a culture of monitoring
and evaluation, on the basis of clear performance
measures and progress tracking.
PAGE 19
PAGE 20 BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The European Centre for Government
Transformation would like to thank project
consultants Lisa van den Berg, Gaurav
Gujral, Ana Miguel Moral, Alexandra Paul,
Alexandra Ringot-Bottermanne, Tommi
Rissanen; as well as programme team
Matthew Beer, Giacomo Buonpane, Bernard
Le Masson and Barbara Wynne of Accenture;
Emilie Cazenave, Professor Michele Chang,
Professor Olivier Costa, Rector Jrg Monar
and Katja Tuokko of the College of Europe;
Sergey Filippov, Paul Hofheinz, Stphanie
Lepczynski and Chrysoula Mitta of the
Lisbon Council; and most of all the students
of Political and Administrative Studies at the
College of Europe, Falcone and Borsellino
Promotion (2014-2015), who have participated
in the project.

Photography by Bernard Foubert

BOOSTING INNOVATION IN CITIES TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC SERVICE PAGE 21

ABOUT ACCENTURE
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services
and outsourcing company, with more than 323,000 people
serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled
experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and
business functions, and extensive research on the worlds most
successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help
them become high-performance businesses and governments. The
company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal
year ended 31 August 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

ABOUT THE
COLLEGE OF EUROPE
The College of Europe, founded in 1949 and based in Bruges
(Belgium) and Natolin (Warsaw, Poland) was the first and is one
of the most reputed institutes of European postgraduate studies,
which prepares annually up to 400 students from over 55 countries
to work and live in an international environment. The European
Political and Administrative Studies programme offers a wide range
of courses on the functioning and policies of the European Union.
In 2015, it launches a new option devoted to European Public
Policy Analysis. Its home page is www.coleurope.eu.

ABOUT THE LISBON COUNCIL

The Lisbon Council is a Brussels-based think tank and
policy network committed to making a positive contribution by
engaging political leaders and the public-at-large in a constructive
exchange about the economic and social challenges of the 21st
century. Incorporated in Belgium as an independent, non-profit
and non-partisan association, the Lisbon Council is among
Europes most authoritative and thoughtful voices on economic
modernisation and social renewal. Its home page is
www.lisboncouncil.net.

www.government-transformation.eu