Finland committed to supporting public sector innovation

Finland has adopted a declaration aiming to strengthen innovation in public administration. The Ministry of Finance encourages public administration operators to register their innovations for the currently open international Call for Innovations.

Innovation should be part of the everyday lives of organisations and public officials. Finland adopted the OECD Declaration on Public Sector Innovation together with the other OECD countries at the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting on 22 May 2019. A summary version of this declaration has now been published in Finnish.

With its declaration, Finland is committed to the five principles of innovation.

• We embrace and enhance innovation within the public sector
• We encourage and equip all public servants to innovate
• We cultivate new partnerships and involve different voices
• We support exploration, iteration and testing
• We diffuse lessons and share practices

Read the Declaration on public sector innovation in Finland (in Finnish)

Submit your innovative practice in public administration by 15 December

The OECD's OPSI team (Observatory of Public Sector Innovation), which is responsible for monitoring public sector innovation in the OECD, seeks out examples of such innovation each year through a Call for Innovations. The best examples will be presented at the World Government Summit in late 2020. The call is intended not only to promote research related to innovation, but also to inspire others to work in new and creative ways.

The Ministry of Finance encourages all public administration representatives to register for the call and submit their own innovations.

“Working in new ways, experimenting and participating in innovation should be standard practice for every public official. We have many excellent examples of innovation in public administration in Finland, so let’s make them visible,” says Pauliina Pussinen, Senior Specialist responsible for public sector innovation at the Ministry of Finance.

Innovations can also be registered by civil society actors or companies that cooperate with the public administration to promote public sector innovations.

Read about the Call for Innovations and submit your innovation by 15 December

Inquiries:

Pauliina Pussinen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 2955 30108, pauliina.pussinen(at)vm.fi

Updated 10 December 2019: A reference to the participation of actors outside the public administration in the Call for Innovations was added.