[Experiencemaillist] [competition] The City of Espoo will hold a digital experiment competition to find new innovative solutions for experimenting within the city services.

[Ahola Markus]

Espoo is seeking new solutions for digital experiments

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The City of Espoo will hold a digital experiment competition to find new innovative solutions for experimenting within the city services. The experiments will be implemented between September 2019 and the end of 2020. They may last from 3 to 9 months and have a value of EUR 8,000–30,000 depending on their nature and complexity.

Entries in the digital experiment competition can be submitted by citizens, companies, research, development and innovation actors and organisations. The city is also encouraging co-creation efforts and partnerships by accepting submissions from consortiums representing, for example, companies, organisations and research and educational institutes.
Entries can be submitted between 13 May and 15 June 2019. Competition applications are submitted via an online link <https://link.webropolsurveys.com/Participation/Public/e908ad10-782e-4381-ac77-f276bf871bb4?displayId=Fin1769648> (in Finnish).

Seeking customer-oriented services
The purpose of the digital experiments is to recognise functional and durable digital solutions of the future that could be experimented with and put to use in the services of the City of Espoo.

“We are primarily seeking quality and not quantity,” says Valia Wistuba, Development Manager of Espoo’s Digital Agenda.

The population and share of foreign-language citizens are increasing and the residents are ageing. The starting point of the city is to develop resident- and customer-oriented digital services that are available irrespective of time, place and language, and thus make everyday life run smoother.

Entries of all kinds are welcomed, but the city is especially looking for entries in four focus areas:


  *   Development of services and operations via solutions in robotics and analytics
  *   Sustainable solutions promoting well-being and mobility
  *   Development of the use of facilities and the environment
  *   Solutions that promote the vitality of the city

“For example, we are hoping for robotics-related entries for different service areas, such as day-care centres, schools, customer service, employment services or services for the elderly,” Valia Wistuba says.

Sparring events in May–June

The city will organise open sparring events in different parts of Espoo. Anyone can attend, including residents, companies, organisations and research and educational institutes.
The events will allow for brainstorming digital experiments, presenting entries and getting immediate sparring and feedback before submitting the application.
The sparring events open to all, Espoo residents included:


  *   22 May at 15–17 in Tapiola Library (group room in connection with Paja)
  *   23 May at 15–17 Iso Omena Service Centre (Pop up facility)
  *   27 May at 15–17 Entresse Library (Blue room)
  *   03 May at 15–17 Sello Library (Akseli Hall)
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If you want to make sure that you have the chance to present your idea and get personal sparring, enrol in advance <https://link.webropolsurveys.com/Participation/Public/4d55116e-048e-486d-ae1c-45b72e3f4d60?displayId=Fin1770694> (in Finnish). We will inform all enrolled parties about the details of the event and their individual sparring times separately.
In addition, the city will arrange market dialogue events for companies and research institutes. Further information on these events is available from the Hilma notification<https://www.hankintailmoitukset.fi/fi/notice/view/2019-010584> (in Finnish). A more detailed schedule and the assessment criteria are also available in Hilma.

Further information


  *   Valia Wistuba, Development Manager, City of Espoo
  *   valia.wistuba at espoo.fi, tel. +358 43 825 2905
  *   Päivi Sutinen, Services Development Director, City of Espoo, paivi.sutinen at espoo.fi, tel. +358 46 877 2871