To conclude a remarkable year of activities and research, the European Centre for Government Transformation hosted the launch of the final report by the Expert Group on Public Sector Innovation. Christian Bason, director of MindLab and chair of the expert group, presented the report and the nine recommendations aimed to spur greater innovation in the public sector. His presentation was preceded by introductory remarks from Peter Dröll, head of unit for innovation policy at the European Commission’s DG research and innovation. Gian Luigi Albano, head of research and development at Consip, the Italian National Central Purchase Agency; Nicolas Conso, head of unit for innovation and user services at the Secretariat-General for Government Modernisation in the French Prime Minister’s Office; and Karel Tobback, head of cabinet of Flemish Minister-President Kris Peeters, offered a practitioner’s perspective and discussed the recommendations put forward in the report. Marion Dewar, member of cabinet of Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European commissioner for research, innovation and science, shared a special message from her commissioner, outlining the way that Horizon 2020 aims to spearhead greater public sector innovation.
The discussion was complemented by input from additional members of the expert group, among them Consuelo Hidalgo Gómez, from the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equity, Spain; Hugo Hollanders, senior researcher, Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT), Netherlands, and rapporteur on the report; Gina Korella, member of cabinet of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Minister for Administrative Reform and e-Government, Greece; Christine Leitner, senior policy adviser at the Federal Ministry of Economy, Youth and Family, Austria; Bernard le Masson, global managing director, health and public service, management consulting, Accenture; Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, professor of democracy studies at the Hertie School of Governance; Jan Oravec, president of the Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia; and Marga Pröhl, director-general of the European Institute of Public Adminstration (EIPA).