Local governments and innovation labs

In one of the readings for this week, Fast Company cited an organization called FutureGov (http://wearefuturegov.com/). Based in the UK, FutureGov works with local governments to create various solutions based on design, technology and change skills. Starting two years ago, FutureGov worked with the Surrey City Council to create Shift, an innovation lab (http://shiftsurrey.org/). This lab is built to serve the county’s priorities through design and technology solutions. Shift is a lab to support local innovators who can meet the needs and problems of Surrey.

The philosophy at Shift promotes four stages: discover, design & develop, decide, and deliver. The design & develop stage consists of designing, prototyping, visualizing, building and testing, similar to the human-centered design methodologies at IDEO. After the initial concepts have been developed, Shift decides whether to move forward and devote resources to the project. FutureGov worked with Shift to create two initial and quick projects. One of these, Casserole, meets the hunger needs of the county by encouraging local families to cook an extra meal per day.

Bogota has also created a bottom-up style project called My Ideal City (http://www.miciudadideal.com/en). Here, residents have the opportunity to create their future city. Questions such as ‘What journeys would you share with strangers?’ and ‘What would be the perfect place to do concerts in Bogota?’ are posted to the website where residents can respond. The city wants direct ideas from residents on how they view a positive future.

By working from the bottom-up, local governments have the opportunity to generate creative solutions to meet their needs. By working with local governments, innovators may develop partnerships to help their ideas implement successfully. Shift Surrey’s lab reminds me of a tech incubator. Perhaps local governments should look into creating a type of social incubator?