Get an accurate diagnosis of digital innovation ecosystems' health and develop strategies to inform national policies.
ITU research shows that as of 2021, only 44 countries had start-up acts, policies or programmes supporting digital innovation and entrepreneurship.
These numbers highlight the need to urgently update countries' ICT polices to incorporate enablers of innovation and entrepreneurship in order to reach ITU membership's Connect 2030 goal of all countries having policies/strategies fostering telecommunication/ICT-centric innovation.
ITU innovation reviews give an accurate diagnosis of ecosystems' health and develop strategies to inform national policies. The key recommendations from the reviews are used to shape a vibrant ICT-centric innovation environment.
Through a comparable analysis framework and a whole-ecosystem approach, countries working with ITU will develop a thorough understanding of the challenges and opportunities in their ecosystems; as well formulate suitable development strategies and roadmaps to:
- drive innovation across sectors,
- create more job opportunities,
- efficiently support the growth of small and medium enterprises, and
- an economic restructuring to embrace an inclusive and digital society.
Through technical assistance for country reviews, there are three expected results:
- the formulation of a national start-up act or programme through updated ICT policies that include the pillars of innovation and entrepreneurs,
- informing the national development plan and key flagship enabler programmes for digital innovation/entrepreneurship that realizes national priorities, and
- developing specific initiatives from a comprehensive roadmap such as digital transformation ecosystem accelerators or other key recommended programmes and projects.
These reviews are produced using a multistakeholder and cross-sectoral approach. Depending on the Member State's expectations, the output may offer comprehensive recommendations, programmes and/or projects that engage all stakeholders. This enables countries to further strengthen their capability to integrate digital innovation into their national development agendas.
