Innovation is helping to:
Improve internal government operations
Save costs and improve efficiency within the public sector
Improve resident outcomes
Critical success factors:
Dedicated funding
Dedicated innovation team
Leadership from Mayor
Sintra
Portugal
Mayor
Basílio Horta
Population
377,835 (2011)
Innovation Website
Lead Innovation Officer
Gabriela Robalo
Spotlight on innovation in Sintra
Although small, the structure of innovation of the city is growing. Sintra’s openness has been demonstrated through its cooperation with the industrial, public and academic sectors to advance innovation. Furthermore, in line with Sintra’s systematic efforts to improve institutional quality, two councils were created; the strategic corporate council aims to serve as a space to discuss matters concerning economic and institutional development, while the strategic environmental council seeks to engage public and private entities in environmental questions.
Note: The City Innovation Snapshot (PDF version) was produced in 2019 and some aggregate findings have been updated with the latest survey results below.
Vision and approach to innovation capacity
Along with 50% of cities surveyed, Sintra has an explicit innovation strategy. Similar to more than half of cities surveyed, Sintra approaches innovation capacity both from a holistic/macro level, as well as in specific policy areas.
Policy areas that Sintra is focused on
Policy areas by number of cities
Sintra utilizes 7 different innovation skills or roles
Innovation roles by number of cities
Terms Sintra most associates with innovation
Sintra's most common innovation activities
- 1
Taking risks or testing new ideas
- 2
Data-driven analytics/public data management
- 3
Engaging residents in new ways
- 4
Developing new solutions based on digital technologies
- 5
Organizational change within the municipality
- 6
Human-centered design
- 7
Rethinking your city’s approach to financing partnerships
Its innovation activities also include human-centered design; facilitating organizational change within the municipal administration; and rethinking the city’s approach to financing and partnerships.
How is innovation funded here?
Like 81% of cities surveyed, Sintra has dedicated funding to support innovation capacity.
Top sources of funding
Activities being funded
47 cities
Launching or sustaining a project
79 cities
Idea generation & brainstorming
51 cities
Investing in digital systems
36 cities
Investing in physical infrastructure
30 cities
Paying for services
Sintra also invests in digital and physical infrastructure.
How is innovation measured?
Sintra has developed partnerships to promote its innovation capacity with other public agencies and private firms.
To improve data use, the city has also developed data partnerships with the private sector, academia and think tanks to collect and analyze data, as well as with other cities.