Winners of the Mayor’s Innovation Competition announced: Future Mentors programme, Löylykontti concept and Lending assistive devices for gaming

Cooperation and service improvement emphasised in the applications

This year marks the 12th anniversary of the Espoo Mayor’s Innovation Competition. The competition was open to companies in addition to city employees. Two applications were submitted by companies this year, but companies were involved in several innovations as partners.

“All three winning applications demonstrate the power of innovation and show how we can create new opportunities for Espoo residents through cooperation. This year’s competition highlighted children and young people and the accessibility of sports. I think it’s vital to find common solutions to such challenges,” says Jukka Mäkelä, Mayor of Espoo.

The applications that made it to the final round emphasised networking cooperation within the city and with partners. Among the themes highlighted were service improvements in which the residents and customers are at the core; the perspective of children, young people and special groups; and safety. 

There were a total of 15 applications – eight for the Potential Innovations category and seven for Innovations. The applications this year were of very high quality.

Future Mentors programme to empower young people

One of the two winners of the Innovations category is the “Future Mentors programme” developed by the city’s strategy and development unit and youth services. This innovation is a reversed dialogic mentoring programme, in which European young people aged 18–25 mentor the leader of their city in small groups about their dreams and fears regarding the sustainable future of their city.

In recent years, a confrontation between decision-makers and young people on sustainable development themes has become increasingly visible. When Espoo was chosen as the organiser of the annual meeting of the Eurocities network in 2022, it was decided to make dialogue between young people and city decision-makers on sustainable development a key development target for the European urban community. At the annual conference, young people and decision-makers had a pan-European debate on themes raised by the young people. 

A programme concept was prepared for the Future Mentors programme, which cities are able to implement independently. As a result of the programme, permanent structures for dialogue were established in many cities, such as youth councils and meeting places for young people and decision-makers, and meetings between decision-makers and youth councils were increased. The programme has contributed to young people’s opportunities to have an influence at local level and created an enthusiastic network of young European influencers.

Löylykontti is a sauna concept that increases comfort at beaches

Another winner of the Innovations category is Löylykontti Oy’s “Löylykontti concept: A profitable sauna for everyone and everywhere”. Löylykontti is an easily movable sauna concept with a cloud-based management system for automating functions. 

The sauna project started when a need was observed. Many people are interested in winter swimming and sauna bathing, but the beach lacked a sauna. The innovation has made it possible to have a large number of visitors at the sauna and increase the profitability of the operations. The cloud-based sauna management system includes the automation of the sauna stove and locking system, the sauna booking system, and automation that facilitates the running of operations. 

Löylykontti is a service developed by residents for residents. Built in a shipping container, the cosy sauna and its excellent heat have surprised many users positively. The sauna container offers the customers well-being in the form of a healthy hobby and is a good addition to the city’s service offering. The number of users of the communal sauna has been increased by actively listening to customer feedback and investing in the development of the management system.

Assistive device lending to promote accessible gaming

The Potential Innovations category was won by the Sports and Exercise Unit’s “Lending assistive devices for gaming – gaming belongs to everyone!” service concept. Lending assistive devices for gaming would be the first service promoting accessible gaming. The purpose is to allow as many people as possible to play games. 

The idea of the lending service is to allow the target audience of assistive devices to easily get to know and test different devices and find suitable solutions for themselves. Video games are a popular pastime, but playing without assistive devices is not possible for everyone. There are many different assistive devices for gaming available on the market. 

The introduction of the service could be started in cooperation between youth services and library services. In addition, cooperation would be carried out with other parties, such as associations and companies. The development work of the lending service focuses on residents who use assistive devices. The potential innovation promotes the digital skills of a vulnerable group of people, which may also have a wider impact on their general functional capacity. 

Honourable mention for two innovations

In the Innovations category, an honourable mention worth €500 was awarded to

• “Pink vests to protect small customers – identification of people meeting children transported to school”, developed by the city’s Logistics unit. At schools, staff members meeting children transported to school have started wearing pink high-visibility vests labelled “Koulukyyti” (“School transport”). The innovation improves the safety of children in transition situations and facilitates the work of taxi drivers. 

In the Potential Innovations category, an honourable mention worth €500 was awarded to

• “Pocket guide for guardians of pupils receiving special support (on the autism spectrum)”, developed by special class teacher Outi Jarimo from Pohjois-Tapiolan koulu school. The pocket guide compiles information for parents of children starting school about the school’s autism spectrum education practices and the city’s services for families with children with special needs. The guide addresses the need for information that these families have when their children start school.

Espoo innovations have potential to succeed in the national competition

The Mayor’s Innovation Competition has been organised in cooperation with Excellence Finland since 2012. The competition aimed at the city’s employees, work communities, networks and companies looks for innovations that improve services and make operations more efficient. 

The competition applications will also take part in the Quality Innovation Award competition organised by Excellence Finland, in which Espoo participants have performed well in several years at both the national and international level. This year, one of Espoo’s applications was moved to the finals of the national competition. The application that made it to the finals is the Future Mentors programme. The results will be published on 15 November 2023. 

Inquiries: 

• Jukka Mäkelä, Mayor, City of Espoo, tel. +358 46 8773953, jukka.makela@espoo.fi
• Minna Salaspuro, Communications Coordinator, City of Espoo, tel. +358 40 6368978, minna.salaspuro@espoo.fi