The ERNACT network has been successful in securing €1.4 million for its' INNOCAP (or, 'Building public sector innovation capacity towards digital-driven NPA communities' project) proposal from the EU's Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) Programme. INNOCAP's aim is to empower public sector organisations to lead the incorporation of disruptive innovations and digital technologies into public services development.

The NPA's new territorial cooperation programme for the period 2021-2027 aims to focus on the strengthening of the innovation capacity for resilient and attractive NPA communities; also, for climate change adaptation, and resource sufficiency in NPA communities; and, the organisational capacity among NPA communities to make use of cooperation opportunities.

ERNACT Chairperson, Councillor Martin Reilly, stated that "ERNACT had been developing its capacity in the newer digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR) for some time, particularly in public services provision".

A key output of the project will be a capacity building programme to prepare public sector workers from three different parts of the NPA geographic zone to incorporate disruptive innovations into a number of public services pilots. These pilots will be in the areas of climate change, environmental management and the digital and green transition.

ERNACT Programme Manager Jose Manuel San Emeterio, responsible for developing the proposal, stated that "research carried out by ERNACT would indicate that disruptive innovation can help alleviate the challenges of delivering quality public services in the NPA with its large geographic areas, low population densities and large distances between population centres".

ERNACT, who will lead the project, is joined by public sector partners from: Donegal County Council and University of Galway (Ireland), Association of Local Authorities Västernorrland (Sweden), Association of Municipalities of the South Iceland (Iceland) and University of Helsinki - Ruralia Institute (Finland), together with the City of Mikkeli (Finland) and Province of Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada) as associated partners.

ERNACT Interregional Management Committee Chairperson Brian Boyle "congratulated the NPA programme management and their staff for being the first of Europe's territorial cooperation programmes to successfully launch and evaluate a Call for Proposals."

More about the Call.