TAIGER had the honour to share our startup experience at the GovTech EcoSystems event held at the EU Parliament in Brussels today.

In the last decade, many digital startups and SMEs have started to cater their innovative solutions to the various problems faced by governmental bodies in Europe. However, due to various obstructions such as rigid procurement systems or long approval processes in organisations in the public sector, there is a high barrier of entry set for these solutions to be implemented. As a result, GovTech initiatives and public policies to better this process for digital startups and SMEs are now being discussed.

The digitalisation of Poland was shared as a successful case study. Heading this process was the Ministry of Digital Affairs, by ensuring that the right conditions for long-term development and a stable environment for businesses are in place. One of the initiatives being put in place by the Polish government was to ensure the availability of state data for private companies, via website widok.gov.pl. Poland was one of the first countries in the world to open up accessibility to publicly held data. This lowering of the entry barrier serves not only Poland, but also the entire European Union, with the creation of jobs and further development of Europe’s digital economy.

Previously, EU policymakers have been conservative about digitalisation. Currently, things are changing. Many countries in the EU, especially under the encouragement of the EU Commission, are actively promoting the adoption of technology. The European Commission recognises the need for businesses and the public sector to work hand in hand to support a sustainable economic growth. In a report on Forbes.com, it has been reported that the Dutch employment rate of older workers rose after their efforts to support programmes aimed at reskilling workers to prepare ahead for this trend. Another country worth mentioning would be Belgium, who is leading Europe in terms of digitalising the country’s HR industry, with about 46% of corporations in Belgium already having their HR processes digitalised.

“New public-private partnerships, with non-traditional digital vendors, are boosting the use of new technologies to improve service delivery to citizens in an inclusive way while increasing efficiencies and transparency,”
said Idoia Ortiz de Artiñano Goñi, Managing Director at PublicTech Lab – IE University.

Carlos de la Vega, Head of Europe and Latam at TAIGER, spoke about how TAIGER was able to grow exponentially with the help of the Singapore Government, especially riding on the country’s National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy as Singapore moves forward to become a Smart Nation, and also opportunities provided by the IMDA (Infocomm Media Development Authority in Singapore). Being one of IMDA’s Accreditation@SG:Digital companies has opened many doors for us as a company, as this expedites the procurement process for Singapore government agencies. TAIGER now serves 19 governmental bodies in Singapore, including the Housing & Development Board (HDB), Ministry of Communications & Information and the National Arts Council.

“TAIGER is honoured to be at the frontier of transforming the digital landscape for Singapore. We are excited to see the same level of commitment here in the EU and will be pleased to be part of this revolution,” said Carlos.

The event closed with participants eager for a wider start-up ecosystem to engage in this emerging sector.