Research project This Swedish-Norwegian project is funded by Botnia-Atlantica, a cross-border program funded by the EU Regional Development Fund. The project is also co-financed via the County Administrative Board in Västerbotten, Umeå University and Norsjö, Umeå and Åsele municipality.
BitStream II builds on the results of the Botnia Atlantica project BitStream: Capacity Building for Innovation, in which business modeling was a central activity. The experiences from BitStream show that innovation in public service requires detailed knowledge of ones own business, and good internal competence of both business modeling and the opportunities the on-going digital transformation of society offers. Therefore, the main purpose of BitStream II is to meet the challenges public service faces through offensively, proactive and bordercrossing research and development. The main goal of the project is to meet the rising digitalization through close co-operation over borders in order to develop sustainable innovation capacity, more effective organization, and challenge driven business development in public service.
Sweden: Botnia Atlantica and the European Regional Fund, County Administrative Board of Västerbotten, Umeå University, Norsjö Municipality, Åsele Municipality and Umeå Municipality.
Norway: County Council of Nordland, Bodø Municipality, State Deposit Center, Hemne Municipality, North University.
Norsjö Municipality, Contact Person: Inger Johansson
Umeå municipality, contact person: Dan Gideonsson
Åsele municipality, contact person: Robert Borgén
County Administrative Board in Västerbotten, contact person: Kennet Johansson
Norway
Nord University, Center for Business Architecture and Information Systems, Terje Fallmyr
Hemnes municipality, contact person: Amund Eriksen
Bodø municipality, contact person: Bjørn-Inge Furunes
State Revenue Center, Mo i Rana, Contact Person: Widar Aakre
To reach the main goal the following sub goals need to be fulfilled:
1. Further development of the prototypes of methods and tools for challenge driven innovative business development in public service that were developed in BitStream.
2. Development and evaluation of two ways of organizing innovative business development in public organizations.
3. Development of methods and structures for a border-crossing innovation environment based on digital citizen centric development.
4. Development of knowledge for public service regarding challenge driven innovative business development, especially service and process innovation based on digitalization, lean philosophy and process thinking.
The expected results are:
1. Organizational forms, methods and tools, including a Dashboard, for challenge driven innovative business development adapted to public service.
2. Hands-on guidelines for organization of innovative business development in public organization when using business modeling.
3. An evaluation method to judge the value of potential e-services.
4. A method for social and participant challenge driven innovation where different stakeholders participate in digitally based co-design of public services.
5. Knowledge of challenge driven innovative business development in public service.
The focus of the activities of BitStream II is on business modeling and innovation, which means that they interoperate with the phases of equal opportunities promotion that are presented in JämStöds Praktika Metodbok för jämställdhetsintegrering. This implies that these phases can easily be integrated when the participating organizations perform business modelling of their business.
Project work will be conducted as action research in which staff from participating public organizations will work together with researchers in hands-on problem solving and development work. The main advantage with action research is that it combines: 1. Hands-on problem solving in participating organizations with, 2. Development of generic knowledge based on common experiences and collective learning. In this way we can make sure that the results of the project is of use in creating a more effective public service in Botnia Atlanticas programme area, and that the knowledge, methods and tools that are developed during the project can be implemented and used by public organizations in the whole area.
Project website: www.bitstreamproject.org
