Public Administration Capabilities for Digital and Sustainable Transition

Deliverables

Through joint co-supervision and collaborative research activities on the level on senior scholars, 2 high-level research papers will be written based on the activities and approaches agreed upon in the research protocol and conceptual approach. This task will focus mostly on detailed comparative and empirical mapping of which governance structures, organisational capabilities and specific approaches underlie the emerging transformations and how they shape public value production such as sustainability.

2 staff visits completed and reports with lessons and suggestions delivered

The partners will further support the capacity building in TalTech by hosting study visits by TalTech’s support staff (one to Universiteit Utrecht and one to KU Leuven) in order to increase their research, teaching and project support skills.

Comparative research paper I finalized

Through joint co-supervision and collaborative research activities on the level on senior scholars, 2 high-level research papers will be written based on the activities and approaches agreed upon in the research protocol and conceptual approach. This task will focus mostly on detailed comparative and empirical mapping of which governance structures, organisational capabilities and specific approaches underlie the emerging transformations and how they shape public value production such as sustainability.

Ethics and IP training report

Following research ethics principles, RRI and DNSH is an inseparable part of any research. For the sake of developing a clear policy and cultivating it, partners will go through the current regulation of ethics, RRI and DNSH at TalTech and suggest potential changes and additions to support long-term compliance and development.

2nd Winter/Summer school implemented and report delivered

There will be one Winter or Summer school organized each year during the project (i.e. 3 in total). Each Winter/Summer school takes place at a different place, i.e., Tallinn, London or Leuven/Brussels. Each year, there will be a specific focus of the Winter/Summer school with some 3-5 invited key-note speakers from among the leading academics and policymakers across the globe.

TalTech research strategy on Future Governance

Based on the education, training and research planning of the project, the project will develop a concept paper for TalTech research strategy on Future Governance. This concept paper will inform TalTech’s future strategic actions around one of its key interdisciplinary research themes. Digitalization and sustainability will be the core focus of this effort.

3rd joint course syllabus and participation report

The project will create a new module focusing on digital and sustainability transitions of the public sector. For that, altogether five new courses will be re-developed at TalTech.

Curricula development strategy

The project will develop a systematic strategy for teaching and training the governance of digital and sustainable transition skills at TalTech (from graduate courses and micro-degrees to executive education).

Conceptual research paper finalized

The project partners will jointly draft a research protocol specifying the core framework, research questions and methodological approach to be followed in joint and individual (e.g. co-supervised PhD project level) research activities. The task will result in at least one high level theoretical and conceptual research paper exploring the globally emerging public sector digital transformation paradigms and their relevance to and relationships with sustainability challenges.

Dissemination, exploitation and communication plan

Specific target groups for dissemination and communication activities will be selected from among the research community and policy development organizations. For each of them appropriate dissemination tools will be planned and selected.

Promotional materials including a dedicated website

The following tools will be used for comprehensive dissemination and communication:•Website/web portal•Leaflet/factsheet•Presentations or posters at conferences/networking events•Scientific publications in international peer-reviewed journals•Press and media work: The information about the project will be presented in press releases as well as in national and international media, which will allow TalTech to become more visible for the wider auditorium and potential partners.•Draft business and exploitation plan for the efficient use of the courses and materials after the project ends.

3rd Winter/Summer school implemented and report delivered

There will be one Winter or Summer school organized each year during the project (i.e. 3 in total). Each Winter/Summer school takes place at a different place, i.e., Tallinn, London or Leuven/Brussels. Each year, there will be a specific focus of the Winter/Summer school with some 3-5 invited key-note speakers from among the leading academics and policymakers across the globe.

Joint supervision of 3 PhD/post-doc projects agreed and started

The project partners will jointly supervise three PhD/post-doc projects on:-public sector dynamic capabilities for promoting sustainable future;-global public sector digital transformation paradigms with a focus on sustainability implications;-people-centered technology governance.

1st Winter/Summer school implemented and report delivered

There will be one Winter or Summer school organized each year during the project (i.e. 3 in total). Each Winter/Summer school takes place at a different place, i.e., Tallinn, London or Leuven/Brussels. Each year, there will be a specific focus of the Winter/Summer school with some 3-5 invited key-note speakers from among the leading academics and policymakers across the globe.

1st joint course syllabus and participation report

The project will create a new module focusing on digital and sustainability transitions of the public sector. For that, altogether five new courses will be re-developed at TalTech.

Research conference

Partners will organize a dedicated research conference focusing on the project results and their integration into actual research and policymaking in Estonia, Europe and beyond. All partners and stakeholders will be invited, including public administrators, to make presentations, network and share good ideas, make plans for future cooperation. We plan this to be a one-day event and have 50-80 participants, either in Estonia or Brussels or in an online/hybrid format (if needed/applicable).

Progress report

Progress report will be developed to provide a concise summary of the project's progress during the first phase.

Report on 3 annual research seminars and 15 faculty seminar presentations

There will be two kinds of research seminars organized during the project:-annual research seminars on dedicated topics (e.g., writing boot-camps, methods sessions, specific research topics). Depending on the topic, these seminars will be held either online or physicallyas part of Summers Schools or partner’s regular research seminars. Altogether at least 15 PhD/post-doc students are expected to participate annually; -presentations of work-in-progress at partners’ seminars (all three partners run a weekly seminar format, which is also adjusted to the online format). During the entire project, each project partner will do at least 5 guest-talks at the partners’ weekly research seminars.

Policy brief focusing on the small-scale policy interventions in Estonia and Policy brief focusing on the EU level scenarios for new PA paradigms

We will a) test the identified new approaches of public sector innovation for digital and sustainability transformation with the Estonian public sector stakeholders and b) draw lessons for the European Union in building governance structures for sustainability-relevant digital transformations. Both activities will be based on pro-active co-creation approaches with relevant policy-makers (i.e. small-scale policy experiments and prototyping with Estonian public sector (Accelerate Estonia, Government Innovation Team) and co-creative scenario building with the partners of MOIN) to allow for the transfer of research results into practice. This task will result in the delivery of two policy briefs summarising the findings and results in an easily accessible format.

2nd joint courses syllabus and participation report

The project will create a new module focusing on digital and sustainability transitions of the public sector. For that, altogether five new courses will be re-developed at TalTech.

1 joint executive training concept and participation report

The project will develop a new training module for senior and mid-career executive education on public administration for digital and sustainability challenges.

18 staff exchange visits completed and reports delivered

There will be:4 TalTech visits to University College London 4 TalTech visits to KU Leuven 4 TalTech visits to Universiteit Utrecht3 KU Leuven visits to TalTech 1 Universiteit Utrecht visits to TalTech2 University College London visits to TalTech

Publications

Perspectives on the twin transition: Instrumental and institutional linkages between the digital and sustainability transitions

Author(s): Albert Meijer
Published in: Information Polity, Issue 29, 2025, ISSN 1570-1255
Publisher: SAGE Publications
DOI: 10.3233/IP-230015

Small countries facing the technological revolution: fostering synergies between economic complexity and foresight research

Author(s): Marek Tiits, Erkki Karo, Tarmo Kalvet
Published in: Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, Issue 35, 2025, ISSN 1059-5422
Publisher: Emerald
DOI: 10.1108/CR-03-2023-0051

Towards a Typology of Data-Enabled Co-Creation Platforms in Smart Cities and Mapping of Practices in OECD Countries

Author(s): Mahardika Fadmastuti, Erkki Karo, Ralf-Martin Soe
Published in: Journal of Urban Technology, Issue 31, 2024, ISSN 1063-0732
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
DOI: 10.1080/10630732.2024.2390795

Exploring the Practices of the Local Government Twin Transition: The Case of Leuven

Author(s): Stefan Dedović, Joep Crompvoets
Published in: Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Electronic Participation, 2025
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-02515-9_14

Deliverables

Publications

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