Aligning digital innovation with the needs of public administration: Innovation 2026 Bitesize Insights
As we approach this year’s Innovation conference and exhibition, taking place on 24 and 25 March 2026 in London, we asked the event’s speakers to tell us what innovation-related topics they’re most looking forward to discussing – and the insights that will help drive their priorities forward in the months ahead.
Here, we pull together responses from four of the speakers – from the UK, Estonia, Denmark and Albania – focusing on topics such as digital sovereignty and moving from AI pilots to operational implementation.
Ott Velsberg, chief government data officer of Estonia, said that at Innovation he is “especially keen” to discuss how governments and departments move from pilots and proofs of concept to system-level deployment of AI and data-driven solutions.
“The question for me is no longer whether AI works, but how we scale it responsibly, securely, and with real impact across organisations and sectors,” he said.
His main priority this year is to make an “AI leap within the Estonian state” by embedding AI and data directly into how the state makes decisions and delivers services at scale.
In parallel, he is focusing on “sovereign and trusted foundations… that allow both the public and private sector to innovate faster without fragmenting or compromising trust”.
These foundations include human-centric data governance, such as making data tracker and algorithmic transparency the mandatory, legal basis for consent-based data sharing; secure compute through a gigafactory node; and regulatory and technical sandboxes.
“Ultimately, the goal is to translate AI capability into measurable economic and societal impact, building an AI-powered state that is scalable, legally sound, and human-centred,” Velsberg said.
Similarly to Velsberg, Sue Bateman, chief data officer at the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said she is most looking forward to seeing and discussing different use cases, “particularly where colleagues are moving beyond proof of concept and into mainstreaming”.
Her priorities for the year ahead are delivering on a new set of commitments in year three of Defra’s data and information strategic roadmap – including reassessing data maturity across the group “to see where we are improving”, bringing together and scaling some of its data platforms and services, and continuing to grow its data community.
“I’m looking for insights into who has done that successfully and what lessons and tips they can share on getting buy-in and support from the business,” she said.
More about Innovation 2026
Innovation is a unique exhibition and conference that brings together government leaders from across the globe responsible for the transformation and acceleration of their public sector organisations and services.
Held on 24 and 25 March 2026 at Excel in London, the event is co-hosted by the UK Government, UK Civil Service and the Cabinet Office. It covers innovation across a range of topics, including data, digital transformation, workforce, culture, sustainability, and much more. This year for the first time, as well as the central government agenda, Innovation will include a dedicated programme for the defence, security, cyber and resilience industries, and the health sector.
Find out more about Innovation 2026 and register to attend here
Romina Kostani is director of digital agenda coordination and foreign-funded projects for e-government at Albania’s National Agency of Information Society.
She is interested in discussing how governments can move to the practical and sustainable use of AI and digital solutions that generate real value for citizens and public administrations.
“In the context of Albania’s digital transformation, the focus is not only on adopting new technologies, but also on integrating them within clear digital governance frameworks, institutional capacities, and a national interoperable systems infrastructure,” she explained.
She said she aims to share institutional experience with peers at the event “on how digital innovation is being aligned with the real needs of public administration” and ensuring that the use of AI and advanced digital systems “contributes to increased efficiency, transparency, and the quality of public services, in line with European standards and the principles of security, data protection, and accountability”.
She also looks forward to exchanging experiences with other leaders and experts on how governance, leadership, and change management influence the success of innovation in the public sector.
Her priorities for 2026 are linked to the continuation and consolidation of AI projects currently underway as part of the digital transformation of public administration in Albania.
“The focus is on moving from pilots to operational implementation, ensuring that AI-based solutions are integrated with existing systems, secure, sustainable, and managed through clear governance, ethical, and data protection frameworks.”
This will include transposition of the EU AI Act into the national legal framework, which Kostani said is essential to “strengthening trust in AI-enabled public services”; building institutional capacity to manage the full lifecycle of AI projects – from design and procurement to implementation, monitoring, and impact evaluation; and the upskilling of public servants in areas such as digital leadership, responsible AI, and innovation in public service delivery.
Kostani said that at Innovation, she would value peers’ sharing of “practical experiences on scaling AI projects in the public sector, managing risks, and applying successful governance models that ensure responsible use and deliver tangible value for both citizens and public institutions”.
Read more: Innovation 2026 a ‘groundbreaking gathering’, says Cat Little in invite to civil servants
Like Estonia’s Velsberg, one of the focuses of Mette Lindstrøm Lage, the deputy permanent secretary of Denmark’s Ministry of Digital Affairs and leader of the Digital Taskforce for Artificial Intelligence, is digital sovereignty.
She said she is looking forward to gaining insights on how colleagues and peers around the world deal with digital sovereignty, as well as future solutions for the development of a digital public sector.
She and her team are currently working “intensely” on an action plan for digital sovereignty and Lage said it is “a top priority for us to find the right path moving forward”.
Another focus is to “find the best solution, the legal framework and the prerequisites for helping implementation of AI in the public sector and creating value for the citizens and the civil servant”, she said.
Look out for our next batch of Innovation 2026 Bitesize Insights to be published soon.
The Innovation speakers quoted in this article will feature in the following sessions at the event:
Ott Velsberg, chief government data officer, Estonia, will be on the panel for ‘Driving greater productivity across government’.
Sue Bateman, chief data officer at the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, will be on the panel for ‘Data in action: Unlocking better, smarter public services’.
Romina Kostani, director of digital agenda coordination and foreign-funded projects for e-government, National Agency of Information Society, Albania, will be on the panel for ‘AI agents in government: What they are and how to use them’.
Mette Lindstrøm Lage, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Digital Affairs and leader of the Digital Taskforce for Artificial Intelligence, Denmark, will be on the panel for ‘Embracing AI: Fix the foundations or miss the opportunity’.
Register for Innovation 2025 here
About Mia Hunt
Mia has been editor of globalgovernmentforum.com since 2019. She has 15 years’ experience as a journalist and editor and specialises in writing for civil and public servants worldwide, including covering sustainability policy and related issues. She has led the Global Government Women’s Network since it launched in 2023. Previously, she covered commercial property having been market reports and supplements editor at Property Week and deputy editor at Retail Destination. She graduated from Kingston University London with a first-class honours degree in journalism and was part of the team that produced The River newspaper, which won Publication of the Year at the Guardian Student Media Awards in 2010.
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