Organised by the IE Center for the Governance of Change, this was the first of the planned annual venture days on GovTech. Part of the centre’s Action plan, its third column after Research and Education, its purpose is to better understand the impact of new technologies and “build a more prosperous and sustainable society”.

It was an exciting and close competition with ideas such as drones for coordinating emergency services and an automated VAT refund app being put forward. The pitches were followed by an interesting academic discussion on the ethics and practicality of the possible future use of technology in government functions. Renown academics from Oxbridge and IE university as well as representatives from the industry lead the talks.