The aim of the INNOCAP project is to enable public sector organizations to lead the adoption of disruptive innovations and digital technologies, thereby providing sustainable public services. The main output of the project is a capacity building programme designed to prepare public sector organizations from three Northern periphery and Arctic geographical regions for piloting and further adopting four public services related to climate change action, environmental management, and digital and green transition. University of Helsinki, Ruralia Institute will produce a social innovation-led service for decision-making on digital and green transition.
The concepts of green and digital transition, often referred to as twin transitions, are closely tied to the European Union's Green Deal program, which aims to achieve climate neutrality through the utilization of digital technologies by 2050. On a country level, Finland is committed to be the world's first fossil-free welfare society by 2035. To achieve these ambitious goals, it is necessary to understand the regional prerequisites and capabilities of the green and digital transition. Twin transition strategies are increasingly being developed by public sector organizations. Yet, it can be challenging to recognize the digital and green capacities and their geographical locations.
The objective of Ruralia Institute is to produce a digital service describing the key assets of the twin transition in the South Savo region. INNOCAP will contribute to advancing the twin transition by using publicly available geospatial data and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) tools, enabling the visualization of spatially distributed information on map.
The services developed during the project will benefit a minimum of 120 users from the primary target groups, including decision-makers in municipalities, regional councils, and public sector entities.
The project is a collaborative effort involving Donegal County Council, the Association of Local Authorities in Västernorrland County (ALAV), the European Regions Network for the Application of Communications Technology (ERNACT), the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), and the Association of Municipalities of South Iceland (SASS). The project will last until the end of 2025.
INNOCAP is funded by the Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic programmes as part of the European Union Cohesion Policy.