Modernizing the public sector and boosting economic growth through Innovati...

Europe has an enormous and overlooked opportunity to spur innovation using public procurement.

Public procurement, that accounts for some 19% of GDP in the European Union, represents an enormous potential market for innovative products and services, offering a powerful leverage for the modernization of public sector and for the competitiveness and growth of the European industry.

Moreover, public procurement of R&D services and innovative products and services is vital for improving the quality and efficiency of public services at a time of budget constraints.

Yet little public procurement in Europe is aimed at innovation, despite the opportunities under the EU Procurement Directives and namely pre-commercial public procurement (PCP) and procurement of innovative solutions (PPI).

This high-level event will address how EU policies could gain from working to enhance the demand side and what instruments are actually in the hand of policy maker and public sector to optimize the public spending and, at the same time, to stimulate additional private investments.

The event will also offer an opportunity to hear first-hand from front-runner actors (procurers, suppliers) and experts how they are supporting the implementation of Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions (PPI) and Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP).

From a European perspective, European Commission services will present 2015 calls for proposals as well as future financial instruments (Horizon 2020, Structural funds 2014-2020) to support the demand for innovation.

Additionally, information will be provided by participants in innovation procurement programmes about the process involved, their personal experience, lessons learned and outcomes achieved. The event will ensure broad debate and lively discussion in institutional sessions and also offer the opportunity for networking.

In the context of the 2015 calls, procurers interested to present a topic for cross-border cooperation on PCP or PPI in one of the thematic sessions on the programme agenda, are invited to contact the session moderator at firstname.lastname@ec.europa.eu and/or to send an e-mail to PCP&PPI_EventMilano@regione.lombardia.it.