This research area focuses on digitalisation and innovation in public services. Digitalisation and innovation are increasingly seen as solutions to problems within public sector organisations. However, they also bring new challenges related to organisation, responsibility, usage, and ethics. This might involve how digital welfare technology creates new conditions for care and support, or how ideas about social innovation reshape municipal services. In this research area, we explore how digitalisation and innovation manifest and influence political, organisational, and practical levels.
The department's research on digitalisation and innovation spans multiple areas and scientific perspectives. It includes studies on users' care and support contexts, the organisation and interventions of service providers, and the impact of national and municipal policies. The department has particular expertise in the digitalisation of care services, with several projects focusing on the digitalisation of elderly care. Other projects in this area concentrate on automation in social services and the use of social media and digital applications in care and support.
In this field, researchers collaborate within Swedish and international research networks. One example is the Centre for Digital Social Research at Umeå University (DIGSUM). There are also ongoing collaborations with entities such as Region Västerbotten, FoU Västernorrland, and Umeå Municipality.
