A collaborative call by the Creative Bureaucracy Festival, Berlin and the European Creative Business Network (ECBN) in Rotterdam to submit initiatives that promote innovations in public administrations. Innovative initiatives which have been realized after 2015 are welcome, from professionals from within the Cultural and Creative Industries, which have been founded before 2018 and public entities from cities and regions. Five initiatives will be awarded and presented at the Creative Bureaucracy Online Festival (to he held during September 28 – October 2). For more information on the event, check the official website of the Creative Bureaucracy Online Festival here: https://www.creativebureaucracy.org/

The world is going through a dramatic transformation and it is up to cities, regions and others to respond and to deliver solutions on the ground. We all know that a business as usual will not get us to be where we need to be. So many public services in cities and elsewhere need to be re-modelled from mobility (cars stand unused for nearly 90% of the time), to rethinking public transport in a pandemic world, to providing efficient services for the elderly, to rethinking new forms of housing perhaps mixed generational, to remodelling medical services with a focus on prevention and decentralization, to digital platforms with a human face – in general to make our society more liveable.

We want the public administration to perform better to tackle and solve these major challenges. To do so it must innovate, be more open to other sectors and to be flexible and to empower its staff to operate at their best.

So what is the role of human centred design, the arts, green architecture, gamification, education, the culture of co-creation and the digital imagination?

Taking a helicopter view we can see incredible initiatives across the world, but many are not well known enough and simply remain pilot projects that are not mainstreamed.

Some examples we have been inspired by include: The Helix Studio in London which explored how design can transform the healthcare sector; how the Laboratorio para la Ciudad created a constitution for Mexico City; how Ghent established an urban commons transition plan integrating methods of the maker movement; how Sydney used design innovation to solve complex crime problems and especially to reduce violence in Kings X; how TILT in Gothenburg used artistic processes in nursing homes to create more fulfilling lives for the elderly; how gaming elements were used in non-game contexts, such as to shift mobility patterns, such as Singapore’s SingINSINC or Britain’s Beat the Street, how Austin has used design thinking to tackle homelessness. And there are so many more   examples.

Eligible for submission are…

Professionals from within the Cultural and Creative Industries, which have been founded before 2018 and public entities from cities and regions.

Initiatives which have been realized after 2015.

Submissions must include:

  • Definition of the problem you addressed
  • Your solution and why it is innovative
  • Obstacles overcome
  • Who did you involve
  • What was the outcome
  • Description of the impact

Each bullet point maximum 200 words.

Optional: Additionally, you can produce a video of around 2 minutes.

Innovations as understood within this call are new ideas that have been successfully applied, ranging from:

  • incremental, radical to disruptive innovations.
  • research based to commons based, open innovations
  • products, processes or services
  • technological as much as non-technological innovations.
  • a problem redefinition, partnership enabled, target audience reached, behavioural impact created, and also take into account the professional context.

We are awarding…

Up to five initiatives, which will be presented at the Creative Bureaucracy Online Festival – September 28th – October 2nd.

The Festival aims to have a global reach.

Application deadline

Submit your initiative before August 15!

The Jury

The selection is made by an independent jury consisting of Charles Landry, Laure Kaltenbach, Gerin Trautenberger, Rita Orlando and Bernd Fesel.

All proposals submitted will be listed and promoted on the Creative Bureaucracy Online Festival and ECBN-Webpages

Find more information and submit your initiative at: https://mailchi.mp/ecbnetwork.eu/call-for-projects-ecis2020