The Mandate of CPSI is to create an environment in which innovation is encouraged, recognised and rewarded. Among other things, the CPSI seeks to achieve this through its Annual Public Sector Innovation Award Programme.

In addition to its award programme, the CPSI hosts an Annual Public Sector Innovation Conference. The concept of an Annual Public Sector Innovation Conference is based on several successful examples of innovation conferences held annually in several countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands and some developing countries.

• In the United Kingdom, (The Innovation Forum), which was established in 2003, runs an annual public sector innovation conference with the aim of promoting dialogue between government leaders, public servants and their partners at central government and local authority levels on the benefits of new and innovative ways of delivering better services to citizens. In addition, a private sector initiative called the London Development Agency (LDA) in the UK has also been staging an annual conference on innovation in the past three years. The conference has become a premier annual innovation event in the UK business calendar, bringing together corporate interest groups in the UK to share ideas, common experiences and knowledge of various aspects of innovation in the private sector.
• In Canada, the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC), established in 1947 as a membership-based association of public servants, academics and interested parties runs annual conferences to share knowledge of innovative best practices in the public service, generated through research in the field of public administration. IPAC also runs an annual innovation award programme through which innovative approaches to public service delivery are recognized and rewarded during the annual conference.
• In the Netherlands, the Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology (which is part of the United Nations University) holds regular conferences on innovation and technology, through which a wide variety of role players in the public, private and non-governmental sectors come together annually to review developments in the field of innovation, as well as share experiences and knowledge regarding the benefits of innovation policy and practice in the public and private sectors.
• While there is insufficient evidence of regular annual Public sector innovation conferences in the developing world, there is some evidence to suggest that conferences on innovation are held often in some countries in the Middle East, Latin America, the Indian sub-continent and Africa. In Africa for instance, there is an annual East African regional innovation conference initiative spear-headed by the College of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania. In September 2006, Tanzania hosted the (Third Regional Conference on Innovation Systems and Innovative Clusters in Africa). Participants came from government, industry, the academic world, the NGO sector and financial institutions, among others.
  
  

The annual public sector innovation conference serves as an important platform where key role players in the public, private and non-governmental sectors come together annually to share knowledge, ideas and experiences regarding the use of innovation and its application to enhance the quality of services and products delivered to customers.

The CPSI is convinced of the significant benefits of an Annual Public Sector Innovation Conference to the South African public sector:

• One of the primary objectives of the annual public sector innovation conference is to provide a platform for public sector employees and government leaders to share information, knowledge, experiences and expertise amongst each other, and with the representatives of the private sector, non-governmental organisations and institutions of higher learning, on the benefits of innovation to help develop new approaches, methodologies and technologies in public service delivery.
• The intended key outcome of the annual public sector innovation conference is to create a public service in South Africa that is aware of and receptive to the new and innovative ideas, knowledge and practices; and a public service that is capable of harnessing the benefits of innovation, and also willing to participate in the development of innovative approaches, methodologies and technologies and apply them effectively to enhance the quality and processes of public service delivery.
• The conference enhances the status of the CPSI Annual Public Sector Innovation Awards. In a recent CPSI review of the Annual Innovation Award Programme, it was found that a number of prestigious international public service award programmes, including the UNPAN and CAPAM Awards, are presented as part of an annual conference.
  
  

• The conference is held in the third quarter of the year.

  The conference primarily targets the following groups:

• Primary target groups: all public sector employees, including government leaders, at the three spheres of government (i.e. national, provincial and local).
• Secondary target groups: practitioners, experts and other interested role players from private sector institutions, non-governmental organisations and institutions of higher learning.

In targeting external participants, emphasis will be placed on those with expertise and interest in developing and utilizing innovative approaches, methodologies, technologies and the application of these towards enhancing access to services and improving the quality of services delivered to citizens and beneficiaries.