Context
Latvia’s public administration operates in an environment of increasing complexity, shaped by digital transformation, climate-related challenges, geopolitical pressure, and rising citizen expectations. At the same time, structural immaturity limits the administration’s ability to respond effectively. An OECD assessment in 2023 highlighted that public-sector innovation in Latvia is often reactive rather than strategic, constrained by fragmented initiatives, limited institutional capacity, restrictive regulatory frameworks, and weak cross-institutional coordination. These barriers contribute to high administrative burden and uneven service quality.
Reducing administrative burden, improving the quality and accessibility of public services, and the skill to create proactive solutions in the Latvian public administration under conditions of increasing fiscal and security pressure have been an increasing political priority.
Traditional policymaking tools have proved insufficient to address such complex problems that require collaboration across institutions and sustained engagement with users.
The State Chancellery’s Innovation Laboratory was established as a centre-of-government support unit that systematically improves the public administration’s skills to respond to contemporary challenges through design and innovation.
Objectives
The Innovation Laboratory aims to:
- strengthen innovation capacity across Latvia’s public administration by promoting user-centred design and innovation methods in policy and service development;
- serve as a centralised support unit for public administration institutions applying design and innovation methods;
- empower public servants with practical innovation tools through training, experiential learning, and a community of practice;
- facilitate co-creation among national, regional, municipal, and non-governmental actors;
- institutionalise design as a standard practice for developing citizen-centred services and policies;
- organise, facilitate, and deliver innovation sprints and design workshops to address complex, horizontal, and multi-institutional challenges in public administration.
By systematically reviewing, optimising, and improving administrative processes, these objectives directly support political priorities of reducing administrative burden and strengthening citizen trust in public administration.
Implementation
The Innovation Laboratory is situated at the centre of government within the State Chancellery’s Department of Public Administration Policy and supports the entire public administration. The laboratory does this by facilitating innovation sprints and design workshops, delivering training on design and innovation methods, cultivating a community of practice, administering the Latvian Public Sector Innovation Award, and offering targeted consultations.
Additionally, the Innovation Laboratory serves as a methodological centre for innovation and design in Latvian public administration. It curates, updates, and distributes knowledge on modern innovation methods and applications of design to enhance policies, services, and internal procedures. It partners closely with public sector, academic, and non-governmental organisations.
The Innovation Laboratory also operates as a modern co-creation space designed for horizontal collaboration, prototyping, and solution testing. Through its practice, it has established working approaches for applying design methods to complex, multi-stakeholder policy, and service challenges. The laboratory is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of six designers and experts and is primarily funded through two EU projects.