This Collection is the home of the GovTech Connect and the GovTech4all Communities, a space for collaboration and knowledge sharing between private and public sectors.
Smart citiesDigital-ready policymaking+3 topics
Last update: 02/09/2020
EU Datathon 2020: the open data competition
121 proposals later, discover who our 12 finalists are for EU Datathon 2020! This year’s EU Datathon adventure started in February with the call to data enthusiasts worldwide to propose ideas for applications using open data from the EU institutions, agencies and bodies. The deadline for proposals was early May. The preselection jury had 121 proposals to select, the biggest number of entries since the first EU Datathon took place in 2017. These proposals were aimed to address four Challenges of the European Commission, and invited participants to develop apps to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic…
Statistics and informationEnergy and environment+12 topics
Last update: 09/04/2020
GS1 XML instance validator
A simple tool that will check if the GS1 XML file is a valid and well-formed message against the GS1 schema The validator will also check a message with or without SBDH (standard business document header). Browser requirements: Firefox 28 and higher. NB currently does not support IE What does the validator check? GS1XML: GS1 (based on the UNCEFACT SBDH) 1.3 Standard business document header GS1 XML Invoice version 2.6 GS1 XML Invoice version 3.0 GS1 XML Despatch advice version 3.0 GS1 XML Order version 3.0 GS1 XML Catalogue Item notification version 2.8 How do I use it? • Simply…
Business and competition
Last update: 09/03/2023
Open Alternative to Zoom/Webex/MS-Teams?
A group of developers (mostly based in Germany: Peer Heinlein, Markus Michels, Dennis Kalbhen and more) launches OpenTalk, a new, modern architecture Video Conferencing solution that is presented as the Open Source and EUPL licensed European alternative to Zoom, WebEx (Cisco) or Teams (Microsoft). OpenTalk aims to demonstrate that quality, performance, usability, and security can be achieved without having to rely on a US-based cloud infrastructure, they said. “It’s the only way to ensure digital sovereignty and full transparency, because we have published the source code of OpenTalk under the...
Business and competitionCollaboration+3 topics
Last update: 06/01/2023
The Economic and Geopolitical Implications of Open Source Software
Software Power: The Economic and Geopolitical Implications of Open Source Software by Alice Pannier, Research Fellow, Head of Ifri*'s Geopolitics of Technology Program *IFRI is the French Institute of International Relations a non profit organisation of Public Interest. Open source plays a central role in software : it is the foundation of critical software bricks, and has become a major factor for companies’ innovation processes. It is also an attractive alternative to proprietary solutions. However, open source is a victim of its own success. It suffers of a lack of resources dedicated…
Business and competitionOpen Source SoftwareICT
Last update: 22/12/2021
First GovTech Workshop - Main Takeways
On 16 December 2021, the European Commission organised a first GovTech* workshop. This theme together with the acceleration due to the pandemic situation which forced governments to be able able to innovate rapidly but also the need for digital strategic autonomy have supported to idea in many countries to support the GovTech ecosystem. *Among the many definitions, we consider that GovTech corresponds to when the public sector engages with start-ups and SMEs, for the provision of tech-based products and services in order to innovate and improve public services. In her introduction…
Business and competitionGeospatial+7 topics
Last update: 11/11/2021
Survey on Web Accessibility Directive
The European Commission is currently reviewing the application of the Web Accessibility Directive, collecting evidence from individuals and various stakeholders involved in web accessibility. The general public consultation on the review closed on 25 October. These targeted surveys seek further insights. Therefore, we would be grateful if you could reply to these surveys on web accessibility in the EU. The surveys are confidential and will support the review, whose findings will be published in June 2022. Please respond to the most appropriate survey(s) for your profile (you can respond to…
Business and competitionICT+6 topics
Last update: 02/12/2021
AI Watch. Beyond pilots
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a peculiar case of General Purpose Technology that differs from other examples in history because it embeds specific uncertainties or ambiguous character that may lead to a number of risks when used to support transformative solutions in the public sector. AI has extremely powerful and, in many cases, disruptive effects on the internal management, decision-making and service provision processes of public administration. Over the past few years, the European Union and its Member States have designed regulatory policies and initiatives to mitigate the AI risks and...
Business and competitionTaxation+12 topics
Last update: 06/09/2021
Report: open source as a driver of EU's digital innovation
The study on the impact of Open Source Software and Hardware for the European Commission found that open source software and hardware are key for the region's digital transformation and can be a major boost to the EU’s GDP. Today, the European Commission published a study on the impact of open source software (OSS) and open source hardware (OSH) on the European economy, conducted by Fraunhofer ISI and OpenForum Europe. Full report is available here. The study estimates that open source software contributes between €65 to €95 billion to the European Union’s GDP and promises significant growth…
Business and competitionOpen Source Software+2 topics
Last update: 16/02/2021
New partnership for the European Open Source Business Association
The Association of Portuguese Open Source Software Companies (ESOP) joins its Finnish, French and German counterparts as a new member of the European Open Source Business Association (APELL). The European Open Source Business Association (APELL) is growing. Founded in 2020, when three national Open Source Software (OSS) business associations representing hundreds of European Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), identified a lack of OSS business-representation in the policy discussions at the European level. At the same time, APELL does not only strive to raise awareness around ‘Openness’ and…
Business and competitionOpen Source Software+2 topics