The APO is committed to promoting an innovation culture to enhance public-sector productivity. Introducing the concept of open innovation to improve services delivered by the public sector will assist APO member governments in developing innovative policies, programs, practices, and services, which ultimately benefit their citizens. Why does open innovation matter in the public sector? It creates opportunities for citizens’ engagement, such as innovation labs, hackathons, crowdsourcing platforms, and public–private partnerships, as well as policies that support data sharing, intellectual property management, and service co-creation. This supports the APO Vision 2025 by enhancing the innovation capability of the public sector in the long run.

To discuss and exchange knowledge on challenges, trends, and issues related to the application of open innovation in enhancing the productivity of public-sector organizations, the APO Secretariat collaborated with the Development Academy of the Philipines in organizing a conference on Open Innovation in the Public sector, 28–29 August.

Eighty-five participants from 17 APO members attended the conference, with resource persons from France, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Participants were familiarized with the concept and applications of open innovation in the public sector through topics such as understanding open innovation, building a culture of open innovation for public-sector organizations, collaborative innovation platforms, and best practices and case studies in open innovation management.