DESIGNING PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR THE COMMON GOOD
In 2017, the School of Public Affairs launched its Public Policy Incubator. The programme brings students and researchers together with public, private and civil society partners to propose innovative, practicable solutions to the concerns of citizens, government, and business.

Our partners present students with challenges affecting the common good that they are unable to solve within their traditional ecosystem.

Students have one semester to solve these challenges in teams. Over the course of the programme, they follow a complete cycle of innovation, from immersion in the partner’s world, to ideation using design-thinking methods, to completion of a functional, well-designed product (programme, application, etc.). The most successful projects get to join the Sciences Po Incubator. The Policy Incubator project is fully compatible with the School’s degree programmes—participating students spend one day a week on it in the spring semester and earn four ECTS credits.

Students are supported by coaches specialised in innovation methods. Dedicated workshops are also offered (Design Thinking; Business Plans).

PROJECTS IN 2018-2019
In 2018-2019, 30 students have been tasked with solving three challenges:

How can we help create a lasting intangible heritage for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris?
Faced with the demographic revolution of ageing, how can we invent the services of the future for the elderly?
How can we promote new forms of urban mobility by facilitating access to parking for traditional vehicles (cars) and new means of transport (bicycles)?
TAKE PART IN THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION: THE PUBLIC INNOVATION LAB
In 2019, the Public Policy Incubator launched a new programme: the Public Innovation Lab, developed with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

In addition to the existing supervision and guidance offered at the Public Policy Incubator, students will be able to draw on the innovation techniques used by Amazon to create new products and on experts with in-depth technical knowledge to develop their prototypes in the cloud. This guidance will enable them to bring their ideas to life with the latest AWS technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT, machine learning, and much more.

The Public Innovation Lab is the first initiative in France supported by the AWS Cloud Innovation Center (CIC). Its objectives are to improve citizens’ digital experiences, expand technological alternatives while reducing costs, stimulate economic development, and facilitate the sharing of public sector solutions for the common good.