GovTech-Program Denmark

As a frontrunner in public digitalisation, Denmark strives to consistently improve public sector services. This requires keeping up to date with the latest technological advances and industry trends. The GovTech-Program Denmark was established to foster even stronger collaboration between public authorities and tech companies with innovative solutions to public sector challenges.

A challenge-based approach to the market dialogue

The GovTech-Program Denmark was a challenge-based programme that took place over two rounds of six months each. Public sector ‘challenge owners’ went to market with their challenge(s) to ask tech companies for innovative solutions. Up to three companies were selected per challenge through a selection process centered around seven criteria: applicability to challenge, team, traction, robust tech, innovation level, scaling and long term public sector potential and motivation.

Innovative tech companies in dialogue with public sector challenge owners

The selected companies subsequently entered a market dialogue phase with the challenge owners, mentors and PUBLIC. The market dialogue concluded with final presentations by the companies followed by a dinner event for all participants. The programme was initiated by the Danish Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs and the Danish Agency for Digitisation, and operated by PUBLIC Denmark.

The programme took part over two rounds. The first round took place in Spring 2019 with the following three challenge owners: the Danish Business Authority, the Danish Safety and Technology Authority and the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority. The four challenges had these themes and selected companies:

Round 1

Challenge 1: Data Ethics

Selected companies:

  • CanopyLAB (DK)
  • HowNow (UK)

Challenge 2:
E-invoicing

Did not proceed to the market dialogue

Challenge 3:
Property Survey

Selected companies:

  • Bare Conductive (UK)
  • Thürmer Tools (DK)

Challenge 4:
Property Visuals

Selected companies:

  • Smartviewing (UK),
  • Rendra (NO)
  • Locometric (UK)

Challenge 5:
Water Utility Data

Selected companies:

  • ONTOFORCE (BE),
  • PYLON (DK/ES)
  • Polyteia (DE)

The second round took place in winter 2019/2020 with the following six challenge owners: the Danish Safety Technology Authority, the Danish Ministry of Business, Industry and Financial Affairs, European Consumer Centre Denmark, the Danish Agency for Digitisation, the Ministry of Environment and Food Denmark and City of Aarhus. The six challenges had these themes and selected companies:

Round 2

Challenge 1

Improve workflow of gathering information at product inspections

Selected companies were:

  • dida (DE),
  • 2021.AI (DK)
  • DWARF (DK).

Challenge 2

Automate the generation of Ministerial Briefing notes

Selected companies:

  • Faculty (UK),
  • SkabelonDesign (DK)
  • Lasso X (DK)

Challenge 3

Gather better data from consumer complaints & improve User Experience

Selected companies:

  • Futr (UK),
  • BotSupply (DK)
  • Compose Software (NO).

Challenge 4

Danish speech-to-text language model

Selected companies:

  • DanSpeech (DK),
  • MIRSK (DK)
  • Mozilla Open Innovation (DE)

Challenge 5

Monitor air pollution with low-cost sensors

Selected companies:

  • Airlabs (DK/UK),
  • Breeze Technologies (DE)
  • Hawa Dawa (DE)

Challenge 6

Address behavioural barriers barriers to improve bathroom use of school kids

Selected companies:

  • Serious Games (DK),
  • Lulu Lab (DK)
  • Tiimo (DK)

Watch Challenge Videos

Outcomes

The innovative solutions derived from the market dialogue covered technologies such as AI/ML, chatbots and sensors. The insights gained may inform decisions regarding potential tenders.