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1 Why take part in the GSUP
1Why take part in the GSUP
Why do programme partners get involved in the programme?
Programme partner
Felipe Maruyama, IdeiaGov, Brazil
”We saw an opportunity for the startups of our network - Acceleration and Certification Processes. And we saw it as a way to connect us to other programs and stakeholders all over the world, as well as to foreign start-ups and scale-ups.”
Programme partner
Fernando Rabelo, BrazilLAB, Brazil
”It's been a goal of mine to look outside of our programme to see how innovation is happening not only within my own government, but around the world as well. I’ve learned so much from GSUP and that's what keeps me engaged and wanting more from this amazing programme.”
Programme partner
William Cahoe, 10X, USA
”We hope to learn about the companies that are involved. What are the reflections about Estonia, what we're doing right and wrong, and what's more useful for them. Secondly, giving inspiration to the public servants – this was a very interesting exercise for them. This is, I think, the key outcome from the safari sessions. It was also important that I was able to build bridges from my daily work to the policymakers that I depend on.”
Programme partner
Mikk Vainik, Accelerate Estonia, Estonia
“Yes, We Can!”
The majority of partners have joined the GSUP with an ambition to prove that intergovernmental collaboration, as an enabler for innovative solutions on global challenges, is possible. As seen throughout the interviews, the programme partners are very passionate about being part of the GSUP. They see the GSUP as a way to further innovative solutions globally by challenging conventional ways of doing. Many did not go through the bureaucratic system to get approval for being part of the GSUP e.g., not signing the MOU, but committed to the GSUP, spending their spare time to be part of building and delivering the GSUP. Getting experience with and understanding of the key conditions for enhancing cross-border government innovation, is mentioned by many as a further reason to participate.
Mission-oriented innovation – being part of a movement!
The GSUP takes a purpose-oriented market-shaping approach, providing a unique access programme to address three global challenges; Environmental Resilience, Reducing Food Waste and Decarbonizing Transport. Many of the programme partners highlight this approach as central for their participation in the programme. With the GSUP, the programme partners take an active role in convening and co-ordinating actors around complex global challenges. With an eight month programme delivery up to COP26, the programme has showcased how setting ambitious and time-bound goals can create cross-governmental collaboration and how mission-oriented innovation can lead to great solutions for the benefit of the world.
Getting knowledge and exposure
Getting knowledge about other innovation programmes around the world is mentioned
as another reason for the programme partners to take part in the GSUP. The GSUP hereby enables the programme partners to get a nuanced picture of the state of the art within innovation as well as an unique insight into what is happening in the global innovation ecosystem. Many of the programme partners mention that choosing to be part of the GSUP is also to gain exposure of their programmes within a national context, creating a push from out-side in.
Building bridges – raising the awareness in governments
When looking at what the Programme Partners hope to get out of the GSUP, many mentioned getting knowledge about the companies and being part of enabling them to scale. Further, getting a closer connection to their own governments and raising the awareness about utilising scale ups to solve governmental problems is highlighted, together with inspiring civil servants to look outside the normal way of working. The GSUP can hereby be said to follow the advice of Mazzucato et. al “If we are to solve such problems [whether reducing inequality, fostering sustainable development, or arresting climate catastrophe], the last four decades have shown, we must embrace an active role for government in creating and shaping new markets – not just in regulating them or intervening when they fail.” (Mazzucato, 2022:14) [1]
Visionary leadership – “The will to do – the soul to dare”
Especially for the central team, the leadership of Alexander Holt is mentioned as a key reason to participate. Having seen his innovative, rule-challenging leadership work before, as well as his ability to draw a vision, are highlighted as strong motivations for joining the central team delivering the GSUP. From the observational studies, the ability to “have the will to do – and the soul to dare” has been a driving force in the co-creation of the GSUP with everyone involved.
[1] Mazzucato, M. et. al (2021), “Public Purpose – Industrial Policy’s Comeback and Government’s Role in Shared Prosperity”, Boston Review
CONCLUSION
The call for action is now!
The GSUP invokes the productive possibilities of crisis and how a collective response can create possibilities that cannot be achieved by one single actor alone. With the exponential development of technologies, the transformation of business, politics and societies are accelerating in a not previous experienced speed. The programme partners see the GSUP as a possibility of joining forces between academia, private companies, and public organisations to jointly rethink how to solve global challenges – seeing the sustainability issues as not only a condition, but also an opportunity. Through the GSUP, programme partners as well as participating companies, see themselves as taking an active part in shaping the future of society.
Guided by mission
With the GSUP, the programme partners are moving from a hierarchical silo structure to a networking delivery. From planning to experimentation and from controlling to empowerment where each stakeholder is seen as a capacity. Strategy and execution occur simultaneously in close interactions, not in clearly laid-out plans (Yeung & Ulrich, 2019) [1]. Like for high-performance, high-growth firms, there is a focus on the outside more than on the inside, on stakeholders more than processes, and acting with agility, even more than perfect accuracy. The programme partners are guided by the mission and informed by their own external orientation and are held together by their common capabilities (see more in chapter 3).
Potential for systematic change at scale
As seen from the quotes and also noted in the observations, the GSUP has been designed and implemented systematically by a very visionary team with far-reaching perspectives. As OECD describes, these kind of cross-border government innovation efforts are limited in number compared to other types of public sector innovation, however they represent tremendous potential for systemic change at scale, not possible through governments acting alone (OECD 2021) [2]
[1] Yeung, A. & Ulrich, D. (2019), “Reinventing the Organization – How Companies Can Deliver Radically Greater Value in Fast-Changing Markets”, Harvard Business Review Press
[2] OEDC (2021), Achieving Cross-Border Government Innovation: Governing cross-border challenges, OECD Publishing Paris, https://oecd-opsi.org/publications/ cross-border-governance/
Why do companies participate in the GSUP?
Company participant
Manuel Schröter, Alpha Protein, Germany
Company participant
Eimantas Matulaitis, Foros, Lithuania
“The major sort of attraction for us was the opportunity to go to COP26 because of the networking opportunity and getting some exposure to investors there. But just to show to the other people as well, about, what we're doing, how exciting this is, and why we are at the forefront of these technologies. What can be done? I mean, if you are using inventions, like you could probably not just slow down but get sooner to the two degree target by 25 years, we can bring that closer, if we are able to scale faster. And I think for us to scale, there is no alternative to GovTech and CivTech. We have to work together to make things happen.”
Company participant
Rohit Nagargoje, MASH Makes, Denmark
Primary reasons to participate
From the survey, the participating companies mostly mention the following as the primary reason for participating:
• Expand network globally and getting contacts • Access new markets and exploring the
CivTech climate in various geographies • Showcase at COP26
Expand network globally and getting contacts
For all companies, getting the right contacts especially within governments is highlighted as essential in the interviews. Getting introductions to people it would otherwise take long time to find and meet with, is mentioned to be of a core reason for the companies to take part in the programme.
Access new markets and exploring the Civtech climate in various geographies
The value of understanding the different opportunities in the countries being visited in the safari is mentioned as central for participating in the programme. Further, getting connections that can help spread the solution and provide a push inside-out is mentioned as central by some of the participants.
Showcase at COP26
From the interviews, getting the ability to display the company solution at COP26, is mentioned as important as it enables contacts and exposure to investors. However just as important is the ability to showcase the superior technological innovation solution, and inspire others to see the potential of being in the forefront of technologies and how this can be part of solving the climate crisis.
CONCLUSION
Bridging the assimilation gab
The GSUP can be seen as a programme that opens the opportunity to shorten the assimilation gap. The assimilation gap consists of the fact that organisations adjust more quickly than legal and societal institution can. (Kane et al., 2019) [1]. Through the introduction to the governments, companies get the possibility to actively get involved in the co-creation of the needed changes in legislation, get an inside-out push etc., which is highlighted by some of the companies as essential for their possibility to bring their solution to market.
Programme Partners − innovation diffusers
With the GSUP, the programme partners had a central role in taking responsibility for elevating the company participants into the triple helix of their country, as well as guiding them through a path that empowers them to be entrusted. Being that “diffusion investigations show that most individuals do not evaluate an innovation on the basis of scientific studies of its consequences […]. Instead, most people depend mainly upon a subjective evaluation of an innovation that is conveyed to them from other individuals like themselves who have already adopted the innovation” [2] the role of the programme partners seems not only to be in sharing their network with the participating companies, but they seem to be, more importantly acting as diffusers of innovation. Further investigation into the role of the programme partners as diffusers of innovation would therefore be of significant importance.
Shared journey – enabling organic convergence of ideas opening new opportunities
Via the GSUP, a horizontal, informal process was set. This allowed for the organic convergence of ideas and experiences across borders, leveraging new possibilities that enable new paths. The observational studies showed how the relationship between the programme partners and companies was a progressive, dialectical forth, rather than a hierarchical sequence. This explicit, explorative approach directed a collaboration approach, where it was obvious that it was not about “working with” the participating companies, but about “we work together with them” approach, enabling superior technological innovations to be scaled.
Public purpose – Scotland leading a new way
Often governments tend to look at GovTech in a national or local context. With the GSUP, Scotland has proven how one country can take the lead in leveraging a new governance model to connect and enable collaboration amongst governments, gov-tech programmes, academia and businesses, setting a shared vision on how to tackle global challenges. By this, Scotland can be said to be a a beacon of light in the time of age that calls for collaborative approaches – showing one way for others to follow.
[1] Kane, G. C. et al. (2019), The Technology Fallacy – How People Are The Real Key To Digital Transformation, The MIT press [2] Rogers, E. M. (2003), Diffusion Of Innovation, Fifth edition, Free Press
RECOMMENDATIONS
The GSUP has proven how utilising cross-governmental collaboration has the potential to create new marketspaces, enabling government to utilise superior technological innovations to solve global challenges. The programme has demonstrated the need for an over-arching vision that enables the different stakeholders to come together, while simultaneously leaving space for each sector to have their own reason for participation included into the vision. With the vision, the foundation for the success of the programme is built and it is on this foundation that the whole process of the programme plays out.
We find that:
• Building a strong vision that speaks to all participants is highly important • Leaving space for each sector to have its own reason for participation included into the vision is needed, as it is the core element in creating the needed commitment and engagement to take part in the programme • Being that each of the sectors have their own distinct reason to participate, the effect and success of the programme is dependent on the synergy with one another • Having distinct but supportive reasons in participating ensures a shared success for all • Creating a “we work together”-approach directed at collaboration between all stakeholders, makes it possible to harness the collective efforts of actors usually divided by sectors • Getting exposure at a world-wide event sets momentum, expands one's network, and drive the purpose to a stronger why
