During the second semester of the project there have been one stakeholder meeting organised by each partner. The meetings have happened right after the partner meetings in Tampere, where the best practice examples have been outlined, focusing on the project evaluation criteria. Stakeholder meeting discussions have resulted in valuable conclusions and ideas regarding the productive and successful implementation of the PPI within each region.

•    The clear evaluation criteria have been defined as an important aspect towards the implementation of PPI. They have been discussed and mentioned throughout all partner discussions. Definition of the evaluation criteria helps the suppliers to better understand the process of PPI and provides more specific information for them as well as helps the demanders of the solutions to feel safer about the legal aspect of the procurement process.

•    The importance of the top to bottom communication has been highlighted as it encourages the innovation-friendly environment. All of the project partner’s stakeholders agree on the importance of the total understanding of the PPI, both among the demanders and the suppliers. Some of the actions proposed include:

o    informative material in local language
o    definition of the clear project evaluation criteria
o    video lessons on the benefits of PPI and the tools on how to use it

Financial aspect has been discussed as well, as once the process becomes clear, the financial challenges start to pause the process. There are various financing models available, such as regional funds, ERDF, HORIZON, Interreg, however, most of the options require co-financing from the state, which, as partners discuss, has to be coordinated internally. The national funding has to be directed towards the implementation of the PPI promoting the innovations within the public authorities.