Scottish-based tech firms are being asked to help build the future of Scotland as a digital nation.
The ScotlandIS Challenge, launched today by ScotlandIS in partnership with The Scottish Government, is calling on companies of all sizes to submit ideas, by Tuesday 16th June, that will help increase the pace of Scotland’s digital progress and develop the critical national digital and data infrastructure the country needs.
The resulting projects will be taken forward as part of The Scottish Government’s CivTech process, which has an established track record of bringing the public and private sectors together to deliver innovative solutions and create new commercial opportunities, from making more essential public services available online, to improving how financial transactions are carried out.
Jane Morrison-Ross, chief executive of ScotlandIS, said:
“Through this challenge, Scotland has the opportunity to become a Digital Nation, a true digital democracy. Digital underpins everything and is critical to our economy. The rapid digital transformation of business and society would not have been possible without the infrastructure, products and services created by our digital ecosystem.
“But we can do more. And we can do it better. We want to harness technology and innovation to evolve current business models, drive efficiencies and productivity gains across the economy. To create a country known for innovation, for an ethical approach to data and an integrated approach to public services. By building the right transformational infrastructure and working collaboratively, we can create a Digital Scotland that is good for the people, the economy, the environment and the government.”
Ben Macpherson MSP, Minister for Public Finance and Migration said:
“I am really keen to hear the views of Scotland’s tech businesses on how we can work together through and beyond the Covid-19 crisis to create a more productive economy, tackle climate change and build a healthy and more equal society. I hope that many of you take this opportunity to share your thoughts on how we can build an innovative and inclusive Digital Nation to be proud of.”
ScotlandIS and The Scottish Government are looking for ground-breaking ideas and potential solutions to challenges that display technical expertise and results-based thinking. The ScotlandIS Challenge is open and inclusive, and encourages firms to consider the following:
- What are the key components of a new digital and data infrastructure and why they are a priority?
- How can the national digital and data assets of Scotland be protected?
- What are the technical solutions to build these components and how can they be applied?
- How could more essential public services be delivered online – be that healthcare, education, or the way we carry out financial transactions?
- How could The Scottish Government work more closely with the private sector to speed delivery, innovate and maximise benefits and investment to the Scottish economy?
Once ideas have been submitted, an expert multi-disciplinary team formed from Scottish Government and ScotlandIS will review the results, identify common themes, make the results available across Government, agree the priority actions to take and communicate back the findings and recommendations to the sector.
More information can be found on our Digital Nation page and responses should be submitted by email to digitalnation@gov.scot by Tuesday 16th June 2020.