The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Ministry of Justice (MOJ) have opened applications for their Reverse Pitch events, a collaboration between government and start-ups to drive digital change and improve the citizen experience.
The Reverse Pitch events aim to bring together start-ups from across the UK to co-create innovative solutions with DWP and MOJ to address complex challenges facing citizens and the departments. The event will focus on three key problems facing the two departments and will provide an opportunity for start-ups to showcase their ideas and collaborate with government teams.
Start-ups from across the UK are invited to apply to take part in the Reverse Pitch events. Applications are now open. The three in-person events will be held on:
- October 29 in Leeds
- October 30 in London
- October 31 in Manchester
After the events the departments will select businesses to work with DWP’s Innovation Studios in Leeds, London, or Manchester over a three-month period, refining their solution and building and testing it with input from stakeholders.
Andrew Western, Minister for Transformation, said: “We’re committed to fundamentally reforming government to guarantee high quality public services. As part of this, we can look at what start-ups are doing to innovate further.
“Reverse Pitch is a fantastic opportunity for industry to work with government to overcome the complex challenges we face, using technology to solve real life problems.”
Richard Corbridge, CDIO, DWP Digital said: “At DWP we are human centered and want to put citizens at the heart of what we do. It is an exciting time to be working in the technology sector. We can use the latest technology to solve real-life problems for citizens to improve the customer experience. We are already using AI and automation to speed up manual processes and allow our work coaches more time to spend with citizens.
“We are excited to be working with the Minister of Transformation and MoJ to hold Reverse Pitch events, that will allow us to tap into the innovative ideas of agile start-ups to provide solutions for our business. I am looking forward to working with the start-ups on this collaboration so we can share our skills and ideas.”
Megan Lee Devlin, Director General, MoJ, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with the DWP on the Reverse Pitch events. We believe that collaboration across government to help solve the common problems we share can only lead to better outcomes for our citizens.
“These events provide an exciting opportunity for us to co-create innovative digital solutions that will address the key challenges faced by both departments, their colleagues, and the citizens who use our services. By tapping into the creativity and expertise of start-ups, we can drive meaningful improvements and make a real difference.”
