We are on the lookout for game-changing, freely available toolkits that can ignite innovative thinking and drive progress in governments worldwide. As the hosts of OECD Toolkit Navigator, one of the world’s largest compendia of public sector innovation toolkits, we’re excited to collaborate with you to identify fresh, forward-thinking resources to support governments and public servants in the design and delivery of better policies and services. Five minutes – that’s all it…
Global: European Commission Collaboration
Blog
Project LIMinal: Strengthening anticipatory innovation governance in Lithuania, Italy and Malta

In a world where change is the only constant, the ability to anticipate and adapt to the future has become a vital survival skill for governments and public sector organisations. A reactive approach to policymaking is no longer enough. It is increasingly important to anticipate policy challenges and take action to proactively steer towards preferred futures. We are seeking peers and experts to join us on this ambitious journey. Building on experiences strengthening anticipatory…
Publication
Tackling Policy Challenges Through Public Sector Innovation: A strategic portfolio approach

This report discusses how steering innovation investment in public sector organisations through a portfolio approach can help governments respond to the multi-faceted challenges they face. Portfolio management is a well-known device in the financial sector, allowing for dynamic decision-making processes involving regular reviews of activity and ensuring a coherent distribution of resources among strategic options. The report illustrates how this approach can be applied by public sector…
Work Area
European Commission Collaboration
OPSI works in close partnership with the European Commission (EC) to achieve its priorities in leading public sector innovation.

In 2020 and 2021, OPSI developed the idea of an Innovation Incubator jointly with the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 project. The goal of the incubator has been to to maximize the spread of learning and knowledge from initiatives to a larger ecosystem of actors. The OPSI-convened incubator has worked to connect experts and practitioners to provide insights and validation of transformative work, reduce duplication, and streamline replication efforts. The primary principle of the…
2021 was yet another busy year at OPSI! As the rate and complexity of global challenges increases, so does our work. In cooperation with partners and counterparts, we complete another successful year of leveraging our expertise in global trends, public sector innovation systems, transformative technology and innovation skills, processes and methods. We held over 50 workshops, webinars and events Issued 13 reports Published 46 blogs And held hundreds meetings to drive the point home: that...
A summary report of the Government Beyond Recovery conference, which brought together over 2000 participants to reflect on the importance of innovation, co-creation, agile regulation and inclusion as the world emerges from a period of crisis and prepares for the complex challenges ahead.
“What is innovation, anyway?” It is a question we are asked at the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI) every day. The concept of innovation is varied and confusing. Intentionally managing and steering innovation in governments even more so. While the OECD’s public sector innovation definition outlines that innovation is something that is novel to the context, implemented and brings about impact (for example in the form…
Anticipatory innovation explores and engages with emergent issues that might shape future priorities and future commitments. This report contains a summary of research and insights from practice on anticipatory innovation.
Adaptive innovation tests and tries new approaches in order to respond to a changing operating environment. This report contains a summary of research and insights from practice on adaptive innovation.