Public procurement to speed up the evolution to smart cities in Europe
Smart technology will shape the future of our cities, tapping into available knowledge to make our urban spaces more navigable, efficient and responsive - and public procurement has a large role to play in heralding this shift towards innovation, said Peter Fatelnig, Deputy Head of Unit for ‘Net Innovation’ and DG for Communications Networks, Content and Technology at the European Commission.
Speaking to Spend Matters' Nancy Clinton, Mr. Fatelnig spoke of how technology can be used to transfer the tremendous amount of information available at present to people's fingertips, creating more innovative spaces. Europe must invest more in R&D said Mr. Fatelnig, encouraging public procurers to see every purchase as an opportunity to "buy innovation".
When pressed on Europe's ability to meet demand for smart technology, Mr. Fatelnig argues that the technology, suppliers and know-how are already available, but it must be developed further. SMEs will be particularly important in the development of sector-specific technology, with the emphasis on sourcing locally becoming more pronounced, he predicts.
For more information, visit Spend Matters.