Your door to future governance solutions www.egovlab.eu
2 3 not just in theory but also in practice
4 5 www.egovlab.eu * Word from egovlab s director Vasilis Koulolias: The power of information and communication technology will fully transform our lives and understanding of the role of the government. WHO WE ARE egovlab was founded in 2011 as an independent research and development centre within the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences at Stockholm University, Sweden. It operates on a simple assumption: good Governance, based on transparency, efficiency, collective decision-making and co-creation, can improve services to citizens and boost economic performance in any country in the world. egovlab s free thinking team of world s leading technologists, designers, engineers, anthropologists, e-participation practitioners, artists, academic experts and scientists is engaged in a range of diverse projects. They are active in areas such as decision support systems, argument visualisation, geospatial information systems, semantics, mobile inclusiveness, change management and in the creation of the future e-governance. A Unique organizational culture of creating solutions for immediate use in society, based on practice and research, enables us to design and invent new possibilities for inclusive and democratic future communities. egovlab applies the future of inclusive governance not just in theory, but also in practice. egovlab pursues to be a pioneer and catalyst of creating positive change in the future societies and governance. But most of all, it aims to be a shaper of modern forms of practicing Democracy. I see future society as an interconnected society, and model of future governance as a transparent, innovative and efficient e-governance. I believe that e-government will enable a more mature and deeper relationship between the public and the private sectors, greater collaboration among all levels of government, and new service delivery models. E-Government will also allow us to reduce costs, while at the same time improve the quality of services and increase civic participation. Therefore, egovlab endeavours and encompasses the most innovative technologies, know-how and research in order to help public administrations serve informed and educated citizens who have high expectations and hold governments accountable. Vasilis Koulolias
6 7 OUR VALUES The driving force behind the egovlab is to develop societal ecosystems that recognize and respect, as a fundamental right, the unhindered access to information and the right to take part in decision-making processes. We base our work on the following fundamentals which also describe our main values and by that become our strengths: Innovation We foster multiple levels of the public sector to initiate, implement and participate in innovation projects together with citizens, suppliers and academia. Participation Privacy We seek to promote participation in online deliberation and to ensure user protection by respecting the right to security and privacy of personal data. Interdisciplinarity We believe that interdisciplinarity is a key element of e-governance, as it involves different disciplines (i.e. computer sciences, public administration, political science, sociology, etc.). Knowledge We consider knowledge as a vital condition for meaningful and well-informed deliberation. We pledge to provide smart technologies that present and mine complete and up-to-date information. Transparency and Accountability We pledge to maintain autonomy to protect civic liberties and the integrity of our lab within an honest framework for citizens, Industry, civil society and governments. Creativity We believe that creative thinking and innovative methodologies are paramount for affecting a shift to a new paradigm of representative democracy. Diversity and Inclusion We recognize the immense value of global diversity. We believe that collective advancement can only be achieved through the respect and inclusion of diverse opinions, cultures and ideas on an equal basis and within the principle of freedom of speech.
8 9 OUR SERVICES The egovlab offers a wide range of benefits to the community: EDUCATION AND RESEARCH The Test Bed - a strong, open environment to test upcoming innovations in e-government service delivery nationally and internationally. A place where governments, public sector, innovators and businesses can view and utilise first hand innovative technologies and demonstrations of applied research. A network of stakeholders - to share knowledge and experience in e-services and e-governance; to learn from each other and provide a platform for cooperation as well as help reduce costs for testing of e-services and systems. Business cooperation platform - sponsors can use our facilities to build business connections and collaborate with downstream partners, which enables them to enter the market with a more complete product. Conceptualisation - egovlab supports sponsors in the creation of new product concepts and the generation of patents and methods for innovative products. We provide critical feedback during various stages of product development, or help reframe an existing product line. Faculty members and staff are available for consultation. Open Source Innovation - support and foster open innovation that can be built upon by future generations in a collaborative and community-focused manner. Our platforms and capacity building tool-sets will also harness the potential of the open source movement - especially within the developing world context. egovlab is engaged in a number of educational programs and opportunities for research. Academic programmes: We currently offer two Master s degree programmes: MSc in ICT for Development MSc in Open e-government Both are taught in English and by distance education technologies. Application deadline for these programmes is mid January of every year. For more information, please visit the website www.su.se/english/study. You can also apply for PhD positions in different subject areas. These positions are posted on the DSV website www.dsv.su.se/en/. Doing a PhD at egovlab involves independent research for four to five years with an interdisciplinary approach. Faculty members provide guidance and expertise to PhD researchers. egovlab offers Applied Research in the following areas: Modernisation of public sector systems and e-services Configurable Process Models e-democracy and participative decision-making Policy and Decision Support / Argument Visualisation Internet of Things (IoT) & Cloud Services Recruitment: Our affiliation with Stockholm University (DSV) provides us with the strength of recruitment of high quality developers, researchers and graduate students. Partners can invite graduates to join their organizations as interns or as full-time employees.
10 11 OUR PROJECTS The Test Bed The project: The Test Bed is egovlab s established national research, development, demonstration and test environment for public innovation. Based at Kista in Sweden, one of the world s most innovative high technology hubs, a place where the dynamics in ICT creates opportunities for renewal and continued growth. It is a platform for experimentation of large development projects that allow rigorous, transparent, and replicable testing of scientific theories, computational tools and new technologies. Objectives: The purpose of the Test Bed is to examine and clarify the effect of the transformation towards e-government, where a great emphasis is targeted towards integration, transparency and efficiency to improve the administrative and political processes. It aims to create a strong, open environment to test upcoming innovations in e-government service delivery and contribute to the dissemination and take-up of the end-results. Vision of the project: As one of the most innovative organizations in the world it contributes to reduced costs for testing of e-services and systems and has strong international partnerships, network of stakeholders and know-how. Botswana speaks The project: The growing demand from Botswana citizens and Members of Parliament (MPs) for interaction and innovative ICT solutions are the main aspects of the development of Botswana speaks Parliamentary initiative. The Initiative was launched to enable governments to build sustainable capacity to implement international good practices on the use of ICT in National Assemblies. In this way it aimed to improve parliamentary efficiency, increase policy responsiveness and expand good governance. The pilot project was implemented from September 2012 to March 2014 by egovlab, Department of Computer and System Sciences, at Stockholm University, in collaboration with GOV2U and the National Assembly of Botswana. Objectives: The aim was to enhance democratic processes in Botswana through the use of new ICT by fostering communication between citizens and their elected representatives in the National Assembly. Result: A pilot online platform, ICTbased Parliamentary Communication System (PCS), was successfully implemented. It helped MPs to view citizens concerns and questions and treat them as meaningful policy preferences that lead to actions with wider societal impact. Awareness of the Botswana Speaks was raised by regular promotion at the local and national levels, as well as internationally through the partners participation in international events (conferences and workshops). Botswana Speaks Parliamentary Initiative received the Editor s Choice Award for 2012 from epractice.eu and was ranked 2nd at the Inter Parliamentary Union s World e-parliament Conference 2014 in Seoul. More information: www.botswanaspeaks.org
12 13 Sense4us The project: Sense4us is a European Union FP7-ICT project that helps policy officials make better-informed decisions when preparing policy. Project partners develop tools and utilities that will support policy makers in gathering information and analysing it as well as modelling the effects of policy proposals. The project seeks to integrate open data and social media discussions into the broad range of information available to policy- and decision-makers and to build a decision support system that presents a visualization of information to assist in the decision-making and policy-making. Objectives: To take recent advances in policy modelling and simulation, data analytics and social network discussion dynamics. Sense4us will further develop them into integrated tools, which will make public service and policy provision faster and more effective. Expected result: Provision of economic and social benefits at local, national and supra-national levels across Europe. More information: www.sense4us.eu imentors The project: imentors is the only e-infrastructure mapping project to date covering all e-infrastructures in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It aims to enhance the coherence and effectiveness of international actors involved in e-infrastructures development projects and initiatives in SSA. imentors is an EU co-funded project. Objectives: The aim is to provide valuable insights on the gaps and progress made in the region. This will enhance the coordination of international actors involved in ICT initiatives in SSA. The aim is to help scientists, universities, research and education networks as well as policy-makers and international donors gain valuable insights on the gaps and progress made in the region and to enhance the coordination of international actors involved in ICT initiatives. Vision of the project: Through imentors, policy-makers, international donors, scientists and researchers will have accurate knowledge on what exists on the ground. imentors will equip the actors involved with the knowledge required to make more informed decisions, promote increased investments in e-infrastructures and improving international grant coordination and collaboration in the region. It will create a vibrant online community of international actors and practitioners exchanging of up-to-date knowledge and information through online social interactions and dedicated spaces for online collaboration, and encourage the community to adopt and update the platform on its own. More information: www.imentors.eu
14 15 Our other projects: Nationally funded: e-sens The project: e-sens (Electronic Simple European Networked Services) is a large-scale project that embodies the idea of European Digital Market development through innovative ICT solutions. It aims to coordinate and develop e- Government in the EU. e-sens will merge the results of five EU projects in the areas of e-procurement, e-health, e-legal information and business life cycle, to create general solutions. What distinguishes e-sens from other projects is the alignment of previous work and instead of using a solution for e-health and another for e-purchases you can create shared solutions that work in many different areas. egovlab is participating in one of the pilots, Business Life Cycle. National Demonstration and Test Environment My Sweden visualisation Salig ++ Development of the Digital Art Centre Data on Maps Internationally funded: Objectives: The e-sens project will facilitate access of citizens and businesses to public services across borders: it will provide easy access to public administration online, use the potential of ICT to ensure interoperability across different national systems, develop generic and re-usable solutions for electronic services in public administration. Upside STORK2 VIPP++ Vision of the project: Contribute to creation of more open, innovative and responsive public services, engaging, enabling and empowering citizens to use digital services. Public Sector Innovation Monitor Other initiatives: More information: www.esens.eu Icount4 EU Apps4eGov Atrocity Watch egovlab Centre for Democracy
16 www.egovlab.eu Contact us egovlab, Department of Computer and Systems Science, Stockholm University Address: egovlab, DSV, Borgarfjordsgatan 12, SE- 164 07 Kista, Sweden Phone: +46 8 16 20 00 E-mail: connect@egovlab.eu Website: www.egovlab.eu