The University creates a public innovation area and begins activities by supporting departmental governments

The opening of a public innovation area within the Technological University is not an “isolated” event, as stated by Alejandra Martínez, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UTEC, during the presentation event of the Territorial Innovation Strategy held on Friday the 5th at the Presidency. “It is part of the maturation of a process and of this vision of innovation throughout the entire national territory that the university has been building,” Martínez added.

The launch of the public innovation area for departmental governments was carried out alongside the announcement of a first concrete action: the creation of a public innovation training program for national government officials, together with the National School of Public Administration (ENAP) and with the support of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF).

“It is a milestone because it establishes a national training policy that will allow public officials from across the country to access methodologies with very contemporary approaches, addressing new forms of leadership, participatory strategies, and co-creation and co-production, as well as service design, all of which will be combined with UTEC’s experience in territorial development,” said Martínez. The aim is to support the public sector in building government capacities “for the next decade.” This includes the ability to diagnose based on evidence, co-create with citizens, prototype relevant solutions, and manage public policies with purpose and a forward-looking perspective.

What governments are seeking

“We want to deliver training that is useful and that generates impact on what citizens want; that is our guiding principle. We don’t want courses just for the diploma, but ones that have the opportunity to be taken into the territory,” said Bruno Minchilli, Director of ENAP, during the presentation event.

The goal is for departmental governments to have teams prepared to promote useful projects, work with data, coordinate with other institutions, and improve the services people receive. To achieve this, training is needed, which is why joint work between the two institutions is essential.

“From the National Civil Service Office, we made a clear decision to strengthen training in the interior of the country, taking into account the particularities of each territory and supporting those who manage public services close to citizens. Along this path, UTEC is our main partner,” emphasized Sergio Pérez, Director of the National Civil Service Office.

The National Civil Service Office has a training and capacity-building unit: the National School of Public Administration. For this unit, the activity was “very important because it shows a change in the way the State thinks about and works on public innovation,” Pérez noted.

“The Technological University of Uruguay represents a more decentralized country, more connected to its communities, and with an innovative outlook. That is why working together makes a lot of sense. What we are presenting today, together with the launch of the public innovation area for departmental governments, is a first concrete step in this strategic alliance. It combines what each institution does best: academic input, a public policy perspective, and territorial experience,” Pérez added.

UTEC seeks to support the generation of “social and public innovation that fosters innovation competencies among public officials for the delivery of better public services and the strengthening of democratic processes,” Martínez highlighted.