Good afternoon all 

I am writing to remind you of our open call for proposals relating to the charitable and voluntary sectors, ( https://www.deas.ac.uk/news-events) and especially to share some explanatory thoughts and guidance which may prove helpful, some of which are in response to a number of questions we have been asked.

The DEAS network seeks to enhance the use of innovative digital technologies, to provide advanced services.  Advanced services may be defined for traditional manufacturing companies as instead of merely selling and possibly servicing a product, the organisation transitions its offering to providing a service based on the customers desired outcome. This inevitably involves a change and innovation in business model and how value is created for the organisation and the consumer.  This is often described as servitisation.

Innovating the business model and value proposition involves looks at how an organisation could change both their underlying operating model and its value proposition (i.e., what makes it attractive to its customers). For DEAS, one could consider how innovative digital technologies can enhance business model design and adoption through the imaginative and secure use of data from new and existing data sources, identifying new kinds of value opportunity, how technology can be leveraged to produce new services and, identifying suitable customer focussed outcomes.
Clearly the position is less clear in services where there is no product.  However, many ostensible services (e.g., rail transport) only sells you a ticket, and even with delay repay, it does not guarantee your arrival at your desired location.

Within the voluntary and charitable sector organisations and providers are generally much closer to what their customers want in terms of outcome.  However, one of the purposes of the whole DEAS network and this call is to explore how the learnings from manufacturing in their servitisation journey could influence other sectors.  This is in many respects a multi way process, where learnings from each sector can influence the other sectors

This call explores the application of DEAS to the charity/voluntary sector since they have yet to be widely adopted by the sector. We are very keen to receive original and distinctive ideas that could help this learning and practical experiences, and operational changes to improve or maintain outcomes in the face of the current disruption, and how they deliver outcomes, which might include a review of what those outcomes should be. It could also include a review of the way in which the charity raises and applies resources to improve outcomes for its users and beneficiaries

Obviously developments and innovation are very dependent on the current state of the charity; some charities may be very limited in their access to and use of technology. It is possible within the call  to consider what data and technology might be needed to improve outcomes, and we understand that there may not always be an easy read across from business organisations and their practices to the charity and voluntary sector. 

Some examples have come to our attention recently which may illustrate the nature of the challenges and opportunities  facing charities due to the disruption from Covid-19, which illustrate the ways in which charitable and voluntary organisations can change the way they operate to improve outcomes.  The first is related to drug rehabilitation and involves a click and collect service, ( https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/27/needle-and-drug-online-ordering-service-set-up-by-treatment-charity ), the second in which the scouting movement is repurposing some of its resources to provide different outcomes (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/05/scout-troops-pair-up-with-care-homes-across-uk ) and the third demonstrating the issues of exclusion, from, among other things, digital technology (https://www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk/news/covid19-rapid-needs-assessment/# ).

Have a good weekend

Phil Godsiff

DEAS Network+ co-ordinator

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