Workshop Overview

Digital transformation in public administration presents unprecedented opportunities for improving service delivery, decision-making, and citizen engagement. To ensure that technology-driven public services are effective, ethical, and aligned with societal needs, it is essential to incorporate co-creation as a fundamental principle throughout the innovation process.

This workshop, organised by UNU-EGOV as part of the AICOSERV project, will focus on the co-creation lifecycle of digital innovation in public administration, highlighting the role of participatory approaches in ensuring technology solutions serve the public interest. The event will bring together public officials, technology experts, academics, and representatives from civil society to share knowledge, discuss challenges, and identify strategies for fostering a collaborative and empowering digital ecosystem in governance.

Why Co-creation Matters

Empower Citizens: Ensuring that digital solutions are designed with public input allows for better alignment with societal needs and priorities.

Enhance Transparency and Trust: Open collaboration fosters accountability and reduces scepticism about technology implementation in public administration.

Improve Policy and Decision-Making: Integrating diverse perspectives leads to more inclusive and effective governance frameworks.

Strengthen Technology Adoption: Solutions that reflect public concerns and priorities are more likely to be accepted and successfully implemented.

Workshop Objectives

This workshop aims to:

Explore frameworks for co-creation in technology-driven public administration, introducing participatory methodologies such as living labs, urban digital twins, crowdsourcing mappings, hackathons, and digital platforms for public participation (Go Vocal, Pol. is, Advocacy+, Decidim, among others)
Analyze case studies demonstrating successful citizen engagement in technology development and deployment
Identify challenges and opportunities in integrating public participation into digital governance, including institutional constraints and mechanisms for ensuring inclusive engagement
Define essential competencies for public officials and stakeholders to facilitate effective co-creation, ensuring meaningful collaboration between government, citizens, and technology experts
Address risks and ethical considerations in digital systems, emphasising the role of co-creation in alignment with local values, fostering acceptance, addressing biases, enhancing transparency, and strengthening public trust
Develop practical recommendations for embedding co-creation processes into digital strategies at various levels of governance, ensuring that citizen participation leads to actionable outcomes

Workshop Format

Keynotes Presentations - Sessions on co-creation in public administration, covering participatory approaches, their benefits, and real-world applications, including:

The current landscape and future potential of digital transformation in public services
The importance of co-creation and participatory approaches to digital governance
The role of citizens in technology governance: from consultation to active co-creation

Panel Discussions - Experts share insights on best practices, challenges, and policy considerations in engaging citizens in technology design and implementation:

Case studies of successful citizen engagement in digital projects
Challenges in integrating public participation and strategies to overcome them
The role of public officials in fostering an inclusive digital ecosystem

Breakout Sessions - Hands-on activities where participants design citizen engagement frameworks for digital governance:

Exploring participatory methods such as Design Thinking, participatory budgeting, and deliberative democracy
Identifying key enablers and barriers to public participation
Defining essential skills needed by public officials to facilitate effective co-creation

Roadmap Development - Synthesis session to outline actionable recommendations and strategies for embedding co-creation into the digital governance model

Registration

Please register using this hyperlink, or click above on "Register".

Event Details

3 July 2025 | 9H00 - 18H00 | UNU-EGOV or Online