Innovation Tel-Aviv-Yafo Model

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The Innovation Tel-Aviv-Yafo Model (ITAY) is an innovation challenge designed to stimulate innovation amongst the 15,000 employees of the municipality and its 50 municipal companies. The program has produced 7 winning projects.
What are the main aims and objectives?
The central goal of ITAY is to stimulate innovation within Tel-Aviv-Yafo municipality and overcome the structural limitations of operating within a complex bureaucratic organization. They aim to achieve this by reaching out to all city employees and encouraging them to come up with creative ideas that will benefit the citizens of Tel Aviv.  
How does the program work?

The ITAY program works by inviting employees from different departments and municipal companies to participate in a 3-month program that takes innovative ideas generated from its participants and transforms them into practical projects designed to improve the lives and experiences of Tel Aviv residents.  

ITAY is built around the belief that Tel Aviv’s most valuable resource for innovation is their human capital. The program identifies a diverse human cluster – including employees, teachers, students, researchers and residents – and then facilitates their collaboration around finding innovative solutions to policy challenges that the city and community face. They focus in particular on strategic innovation, internal organizational innovation, educational innovation and open innovation.  

To maximise the number of employees reached by the program, ITAY has trained innovation ambassadors to conduct training sessions and generally promote innovative ways of thinking throughout the municipal bureaucracy. The program consists of 8 sessions in which participants learn about a wide range of techniques for dealing with policy challenges. The training includes content on Design Thinking, Lean Canvas, Systematic Incentive Thinking amongst other areas.  

As well as participating in workshops and courses, employees have the opportunity to participate in an annual innovation competition. Participants present their proposals in the style of TED talks in the presence of the mayor, city council and 500 guests. The best ideas get a budget for piloting and successful pilots will be implemented fully.  

You can read more about some of the specific initiatives developed through ITAY here.  

What is the overall cost?
No information is currently available regarding the cost of running ITAY.  
How was it implemented?
The ITAY model was pioneered by Rinat Guy who is Chief Innovation Officer at the Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality. Guy developed the model without a budget or dedicated manpower over the course of a year by studying the subject in Israel and abroad. In particular the model is based on the ideas and methodology of Avi Gvirtsman, an innovation expert and co-founder of Spyre. The model received the approval of Mayor Ron Huldai and was launched in 2016. Since then, it won second place at the 2017 European Capital of Innovation Competition.  
What impact has been measured?

As of 2022, over 3000 employees of Tel-Aviv-Yafo Municipality have participated in the program with over 100 ideas being submitted every year. 22 ideas have been fully funded and implemented by the Municipality.  

The Innovation Tel-Aviv-Yafo Model is able to demonstrate the level of participation in the program with the following figures being up to date as of the end of 2021: 

  • Over 3000 employees of Tel-Aviv-Yafo Municipality have participated in the program 

  • Over 100 ideas have been submitted in each year that it has run 

  • 194 employees have been trained to become innovation ambassadors within their departments 

  • 10 workshops dedicated to the needs of various units are held each year   

  • 3 courses for innovation ambassadors are held each year 

  • 22 ideas that originated in the innovation competition have been fully implemented 

Although there is no information on the wider economic impact on the program or the innovative ideas that it has generated, it is clear that ITAY has delivered on its stated objective of stimulating innovating policy solutions and engaging large numbers of employees to develop innovative practices and ways of thinking.  

CURATED BY

Tom Hancock

Research Associate
Global Entrepreneurship Network
United Kingdom