Session
Classroom
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: This setup allows participants to work in groups, encouraging the exchange of diverse perspectives, which is essential for fostering creativity. Working in groups enables participants to challenge each other’s ideas, gain new insights, and develop innovative solutions together. Additionally, a classroom setup offers a comfortable and organized space for hands-on exercises and guided facilitation. It also allows for better communication between facilitators and participants, ensuring everyone remains engaged and benefits from shared learning experiences. This format supports both guided instruction and spontaneous idea generation, making it the most suitable choice for our creative workshop.
With the rapid advancement of technology, rising public expectations for efficient services, and an ever-expanding pool of data, governments around the world are pressured to tackle complex societal issues with innovative solutions. Traditional methods often lack the speed and effectiveness needed to keep up with modern demands. To bridge this gap, governments are increasingly focusing on strategies to accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies within the public sector, aiming to improve service delivery and address complex challenges more efficiently.
The workshop dwells on the experience of GovTech Lab Lithuania and Norwegian Agency for Public and Financial Management (DFQ) as well as and welcomes representatives from public, private and academic sectors who are interested in practically testing new ways of finding innovative solutions to address the challenges faced by the society. Participants will be able to deeply engage with a variety of public sector problems and consider them critically. By exploring the junctions between these challenges and emerging technologies, attendees will gain hands-on experience on creating and refining the variety of potential solutions. The participants will create early-stage prototypes of innovative products by matching public sector problems (such as digital inclusion, bureaucratic inefficiencies, environmental sustainability, etc.) with emerging technologies (such as artificial intelligence, big data, IoT, blockchain and others).
Innovation Agency Lithuania, GovTech Lab
The Norwegian Agency for Public and Financial Management (DFQ)
Andžej Trachimovič, Viceminister, Ministry of Economy and Innovation Lithuania, EuroDIG
Magne Hareide, Senior Adviser, The Norwegian Agency for Public and Financial Management (DFQ), EuroDIG
Liucija Sabulytė, Manager of GovTech Lab unit, Innovation Agency Lithuania, EuroDIG
Dovilė Gaižauskienė, Area Manager, Innovation Agency Lithuania, EuroDIG
3. Good Health and Well-Being
4. Quality Education
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
Targets: The workshop is directly linked to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by addressing real-world challenges in healthcare, education, infrastructure, and urban sustainability. During the session, participants will work with specific problems from these SDG fields, carefully selected to reflect challenges faced by different social groups across various continents. By combining public sector issues with emerging technologies, the workshop will foster innovative, inclusive, and globally relevant solutions. For SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), participants may tackle issues such as unequal access to healthcare, digital health solutions, or emergency response systems. For SDG 4 (Quality Education), challenges might include digital inclusion, remote learning barriers, or skills gaps in underserved communities. SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) will focus on smart governance, connectivity, and public sector efficiency, while SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) will address urban sustainability, climate resilience, and mobility solutions. By engaging with these challenges, participants will gain a deeper understanding of global inequalities and technological possibilities, leading to a united perspective on potential solutions. The hands-on approach encourages collaborative thinking and pushes for creative, tech-driven ideas to improve public services worldwide. Ultimately, the workshop serves as a platform to bridge gaps between regions, sectors, and perspectives, fostering innovation that is both impactful and scalable.
Report
Open Forum #80 titled “Mix & Fix – Tech-driven Solutions to Societal Challenges” brought together a diverse group of participants from the public sector, academia, private enterprises, and civil society to collaboratively explore the practical application of emerging technologies in solving pressing public challenges. With digital transformation becoming both an opportunity and a necessity, this interactive workshop emphasized co-creation, experimentation, and cross-sector collaboration to drive forward GovTech innovation.
Opening speeches by Lithuania’s Ambassador for Technology and Digitalisation Lina Viltrakienė and Chief Procurement Officer in Norway Dag Strømsnes emphasized the critical importance of digitalization in the public sector. It was noted that while the public sector plays a central role in addressing complex societal problems, it often remains risk-averse and hesitant to embrace innovation.
Speeches highlighted a significant gap: even when governments pilot solutions with startups or innovators, these collaborations often lack structure and long-term commitment. The systemic shift is in need: encouraging startups, academia, and entrepreneurs to actively contribute to the GovTech ecosystem, supported by meaningful partnerships and opportunities for growth.
It was stressed that:
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Digitalization is essential for efficient service delivery, transparency, and trust in public institutions.
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Culture change is needed in the public sector to embrace agile methodologies and a tolerance for experimentation.
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People are the drivers of innovation, and thus equipping public servants with digital skills is foundational.
The Mix & Fix workshop provided a dynamic, hands-on environment where participants were encouraged to tackle real-life public sector problems through a creative and collaborative lens. Structured as a practical innovation lab, the session focused on:
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Identifying societal challenges such as digital exclusion, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and environmental sustainability.
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Matching these challenges with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, IoT, blockchain, and big data.
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Developing early-stage prototypes that could inform future public sector innovation efforts.
Facilitated by GovTech Lab Lithuania and DFØ, the session allowed interdisciplinary teams to dive deep into public challenges, apply design thinking, and test their assumptions in a supportive and constructive setting.
Participants gained insight into: How to apply agile methodologies to public challenges; Ways to enhance cross-sector collaboration for more inclusive innovation; Building viable technology prototypes tailored to the needs of citizens and institution.
Key takeaways: Innovation in the public sector is most effective when rooted in collaboration and real-world application. Equipping public servants with the tools and mindset for digital transformation is critical for long-term success
