Inaugural International Roundtable Brings Procurement Leaders to Discuss Government Adoption of Emerging Technologies
LONDON – On December 5, 2019, a roundtable of international public sector innovation and procurement leaders met in Westminster London to discuss how governments can innovate by accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies.
The goal was to bring together heads of government, non-profit organisations, and multi-lateral government organisations from Europe and the U.S. to discuss the barriers that prevent adoption of emerging technologies and solutions that have proven to be successful.
Hosted by Public Spend Forum, and DefSec Innovation Hub, the event saw high-profile heads from government and the emerging tech community convene to drive forward specific actions on future collaboration and initiatives across the world. Leaders from the U.S. Air Force, World Bank Group, U.S. Dept of Homeland Security, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, NACUE, the Open Contracting Partnership and the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade for the Czech Republic as well as CEOs from Innovo Defence UK, Open Opps UK, and State of Flux discussed takeaways for lowering barriers and accelerating adoption of emerging technologies in government.
Driving the discussion was Raj Sharma, CEO of Public Spend Forum and Founder of GovShop, and Kristina Soukupova, President of DefSec Innovation Hub.
The discussion centred on three areas: barriers preventing adoption of emerging technologies, actions and solutions that have shown promise, and future collaboration to accelerate progress.
Consensus was reached around the following topics and takeaways:
- Culture change and talent development are paramount to driving innovation and changing the way governments approach emerging technology
- Need for intensive data-driven market and supplier research
- Increased collaboration across government organisations to cross-share learnings
“Opening up government markets around the world is critical to achieving public outcomes. By using government purchases as a fuel to fund innovation, we can create more opportunities for small and medium enterprises, and ultimately help those who need help the most…our constituents. Events like this give us hope given the leaders involved and how they are championing these efforts,” said Sharma.
To read more about the event and the roundtable members, see Public Spend Forum’s International Roundtable on Innovation and Emerging Tech in Government.
About Public Spend Forum
Public Spend Forum aims to create “open government markets” for $10 trillion in government spending through a platform that provides data, services and an open global community Public Spend Forum’s key products/services include GovShop, a supplier intelligence platform; training and workshops focused on procurement innovation; and a global community and ecosystem where government, suppliers and other ecosystem partners can engage to solve problems. Learn more at publicspendforum.net.
About DefSec Innovation Hub
DefSec Innovation Hub (DSIH) is a team of connected academics, inventors, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts, who believe that the future starts today. They are a vehicle for collaborative and educational efforts leading to innovation in defence and security. DSIH does that by organizing multinational forums; helping to establish and solidify relationships leading to innovation; and providing innovative educational programs for all stakeholders. Learn more at dsih.org.
