More than 45 experts in Public Procurement of Innovation (PPI) from 10 European countries are attending two events today and tomorrow in Seville (Andalusia, Spain) to promote this public procurement tool and its supporting and brokerage services across Europe. The meetings have been organized by CTA (Technological Corporation of Andalusia) within the framework of the European P5 Innobroker project and with the collaboration of the European BRINC project, both co-financed by the EU COSME programme.

Public Procurement of Innovation (PPI) is a public procurement tool through which administrations and public bodies can modernize services for citizens while simultaneously driving business innovation. This tool allows administrations to procure innovative products or services that do not yet exist in the market but can be developed within a timeframe defined by the state of technology.

Participants come from European regions including Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Denmark, Slovenia, Spain, France, Greece, Ireland, and Sweden. Speakers include representatives from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities; the Ministry of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy; the Progress and Health Foundation; Emasesa; and similar entities from the participating European countries.

Today, attendees held a G2G Event, a meeting between regional public administrations from the 10 mentioned countries, to share and exchange opinions, experiences, lessons learned, and best practices among public administrations and public bodies from the different regions and countries involved in the P5 Innobroker and BRINC projects.

Additionally, participants visited the El Copero wastewater treatment plant of Emasesa to learn firsthand about the successful PPI case executed at the municipal company’s treatment plant.

Tomorrow, participants will attend the final event of the P5 Innobroker and BRINC projects, sister projects co-financed by the EU COSME programme to promote Public Procurement of Innovation in Southern and Northern Europe, respectively.

Representatives of both projects will share valuable information on the current state of intermediary and support services for PPI in the EU, as well as the main findings and results of each project. A representative from DG Grow/EISMEA will present the current situation of intermediary services in Public Procurement of Innovation in the EU. Additionally, the event will include a roundtable discussion on the practical aspects of intermediary services in PPI, with representatives from public buyers and solution providers.

P5 Innobroker: Boosting PPI in the South of Europe

P5 Innobroker is a strategic project for the European Commission, co-financed by the COSME programme. It aims to promote the launch and execution of Public Procurement of Innovation initiatives due to their stimulating effect on the private productive fabric and modernization of public administrations.

CTA leads this European project, which also includes five other European entities: the Ea Ecoentreprises cluster (France), the Hellas Technology Center in Thessaloniki (Greece), the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce, the Regional Development Agency of Larnaca and Famagusta (Cyprus), and the Sarajevo Regional Development Agency (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Over its three years of execution, P5 Innobroker is analyzing the feasibility of new business models based on support services for the preparation and execution of PPI initiatives, both for public administrations and bidding entities. Additionally, the project aims to train and energize the public sector to significantly increase the procurement of innovative technologies, products, and solutions, while also supporting the startup and expansion of technology-based companies that can participate in the bidding process.

The P5 Innobroker and BRINC projects are co-financed by the EU COSME programme.