Iceland Innovation Week

Reykjavík City is a key supporter of Innovation Week (I. Nýsköpunarvikan), offering businesses and entrepreneurs the opportunity to host innovation-related events, lectures, and initiatives with various touchpoints.

 

Iceland Innovation Week 2023

Innovation for People is a conference on innovation and Reykjavík’s digital journey, where participants gain insight into the extensive development taking place across the City's infrastructure. The event will be held on Thursday, May 25, from 9am to 11am at Gróska. Find the Facebook event here.

 

Gróska take over. Iceland Innovation Week takes over Gróska on Tuesday, May 23, and Reykjavík City will have a booth showcasing the City's innovation. Learn more about Iceland Innovation Week.

 

User journey workshop. In connection with Iceland Innovation Week, the City holds a workshop for City employees focusing on user-centered design. Participants will put themselves in the user's shoes and map their experiences. This method allows City employees to see their work in a new light and identify opportunities for improvement and innovation. The workshop is fully booked. Additional workshops will be announced later.

Information on Innovation Week can be found in the Green Deal action plan.
Nýsköpunarvikan - logo

Conference program and registration

Innovation for People is a conference hosted by Reykjavík City during Iceland Innovation Week. The conference will take place on Thursday, May 25, from 9am to 11am at Gróska, where participants will gain insight into the innovation and digital journey of Reykjavík City. Vigdís Hafliðadóttir, philosopher, singer, and activist, will be the moderator.

The event is free and open to all. Register here.

There are countless opportunities to make the City's services even more user-centered, professional, and efficient through innovation and digital solutions. At the same time, these transformative times raise ethical questions that need to be discussed.

  • At the conference, Arnar Sigurðsson, founder of East Moon and a social innovation pioneer, will deliver the opening speech on the right to make mistakes.
  • Following that, six short presentations from Reykjavík City will cover the City's innovation goals and the methodology used in user-centered project design. Examples will be given of projects aimed at making the City's services more efficient, improving the quality of welfare services, transforming the school community for the better, and examining our ethical responsibility in digital development.
  • Finally, there will be panel discussions on the opportunities and challenges of innovation and digital development in Reykjavík City. Panel participants include Kristinn Jón Ólafsson, Chair of Reykjavík City's Digital Council, Arnar Sigurðsson, social entrepreneur, Inga Björk Margrétar Bjarnadóttir, advocate for improved digital accessibility and recipient of Reykjavík City's 2022 Accessibility Award, and Ásta Þöll Gylfadóttir, Digital Leaders Team Manager at Reykjavík City.

The event is part of the Digital Council's open meetings.

Register for the event here.

Past events

Reykjavík City hosted an open meeting and workshop on innovation culture in 2022 in connection with Innovation Week, focusing on workplace culture and how it can support digital transformation. By participating in the festival, the City aims to strengthen innovation culture in its operations both within and outside the administration. This mindset aligns well with Reykjavík's recently approved employment and innovation policy, titled Innovation Everywhere.  

Photos from the Culture Hack of Innovation Culture at City Hall

Innovation Everywhere

We view innovation as the result of imaginative ideas implemented by entrepreneurial people all over Reykjavik.

 

Innovation tends to be discussed in the context of high-tech companies. But innovation is also the driver in a wide range of activities relating to culture, artistic creation, the third sector, public administration, and various service providers.

 

Innovation is not a feather in someone’s cap. It is part of Reykjavik’s self-image and shapes the way people live and work in the City approach our tasks. We are going to create a fertile ground for new ideas to flourish.

 

Innovation is a common theme throughout the Reykjavik Economic and Innovation Policy. This is because innovation is a prerequisite for value creation in all areas of society and makes us better prepared to meet the challenges of the future.

Economic and Innovation Policy 2022-2030 (PDF)

Why Innovation Week?

Reykjavík City's involvement in Innovation Week aims to increase access and visibility of innovation across industries and companies, providing entrepreneurs with opportunities to share valuable knowledge. The festival also highlights Reykjavík City as an innovation hub, attracting capital, investors, and foreign experts in innovation and green solutions, creating synergy with other projects like Reykjavik Science City.

Learn more on the website of the Green Deal

Where can I find out more?

The project steering group consists of staff from the Office of the Mayor and Chief Executive Officer, Dept. of Culture & Sports, Dept. of Service & Innovation, Dept. of Welfare, and Dept. of Education & Youth.

  • Link to an official duty regulation regarding the Innovation Week working group

Want to know more or send a comment? Send an email to athafnaborgin@reykjavik.is