Call for blogs: Building the Smarter State Week 2024 #techUKSmarterState
Building the Smarter State is techUK’s flagship public services conference and the go-to conference for public sector digital leaders. From Monday 2 September to Friday 6 September, in the week leading up to the conference, techUK will be running its annual Building the Smarter State Campaign Week.
Through blogs and case studies we want members and stakeholders to explore the innovation and impact within the smarter state. Each day has been assigned a different theme; we want to explore the most pressing and important topics for public sector digital transformation, from reflecting on the past 10 years and what more needs to be done to create and sustain a smarter state.
The themes for the week:
- Monday 2 September - The future of the smarter state: The impact of emerging technologies and how we can solve some of the most pressing challenges.
- Tuesday 3 September - The last 10 years: What has worked well so far and what more needs to be done to create a smarter state that delivers meaningful digital outcomes?
- Wednesday 4 September - Legacy IT: How can we reframe this old technological infrastructure and future-proof services for the digital age?
- Thursday 5 September - Data: What does a data-driven smarter state look like and how can we achieve it?
- Friday 6 September - Skills: How can we bridge the digital skills gap? Which is essential if we are to sustain and deliver services in a Smarter State.
How to contribute?
All techUK members and stakeholders can submit a contribution. We welcome a variety of formats so that you can decide what would best fit your company. Here is what you can submit and some guidelines:
Blogs
These will be published on our website as an insight page.
- Between 600 – 1,000 words long.
- Can include images, infographics and videos/vlogs (see below guidelines about submitting vlogs).
- Add links throughout your text.
- Please download our blog submission form here (instructions here), fill it in and submit alongside your content.
Vlogs
These will be published on our website as an insight page.
- Between 3 to 6 minutes.
- YouTube link or MP4 file.
- Title for the video and any intro text.
- Examples: #1
- Email us your video through https://wetransfer.com/. Instructions here.
*For all submitted content, we require a headshot of each author, a brief biography, and the logo(s) of your organisation/company, so please ensure this is sent alongside all material.
Please send your submission through to e[email protected] by Friday 23 August. Content that is submitted after the deadline may not get social promotion which is crucial to increase visibility of the submitted work.
You can also follow the campaign on techUK's Twitter and LinkedIn #techUKSmarterState
If you would like to attend the Building the Smarter State Conference, you can sign up here.
Ellie Huckle
Ellie Huckle
Ellie joined techUK in March 2018 as a Programme Assistant to the Public Sector team and now works as a Programme Manager for the Central Government Programme.
The programme represents the supplier community of technology products and services in Central Government – in summary working to make Government a more informed buyer, increasing supplier visibility in order to improve their chances of supplying to Government Departments, and fostering better engagement between the public sector and industry. To find out more about what we do, how we do this and how you can get involved – make sure to get in touch!
Prior to joining techUK, Ellie completed Sixth Form in June 2015 and went on to work in Waitrose, moved on swiftly to walking dogs and finally, got an office job working for a small local business in North London, where she lives with her family and their two Bengal cats Kai and Nova.
When she isn’t working Ellie likes to spend time with her family and friends, her cats, and enjoys volunteering for diabetes charities. She has a keen interest in writing, escaping with a good book and expanding her knowledge watching far too many quiz shows!
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 020 7331 2015
- Twitter:
- @techUK,@techUK
- Website:
- www.techuk.org,www.techuk.org
- LinkedIn:
- https://bit.ly/3mtQ7Jx,https://bit.ly/3mtQ7Jx
Heather Cover-Kus
Heather Cover-Kus
Heather is Head of Central Government Programme at techUK, working to represent the supplier community of tech products and services to Central Government.
Prior to joining techUK in April 2022, Heather worked in the Economic Policy and Small States Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She led the organisation’s FinTech programme and worked to create an enabling environment for developing countries to take advantage of the socio-economic benefits of FinTech.
Before moving to the UK, Heather worked at the Office of the Prime Minister of The Bahamas and the Central Bank of The Bahamas.
Heather holds a Graduate Diploma in Law from BPP, a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from LSE, and a BA in Economics and Sociology from Macalester College.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-cover-kus-ba636538
Ella Gago-Brookes
Ella Gago-Brookes
Ella joined techUK in November 2023 as a Markets Team Assistant, supporting the Justice and Emergency Services, Central Government and Financial Services Programmes.
Before joining the team, she was working at the Magistrates' Courts in legal administration and graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2022. Ella attained an undergraduate degree in History and Politics, and a master's degree in International Relations and Security Studies, with a particular interest in studying asylum rights and gendered violence.
In her spare time she enjoys going to the gym, watching true crime documentaries, travelling, and making her best attempts to become a better cook.
- Email:
- [email protected]