O2 has rolled out Future Fund, an initiative to support ICT teams in the UK looking to drive innovation within their organisations and the ways in which their employees work, Mobile News reports.
Around 60 UK councils have signed onto the initiative and aim to improve ICT management by reducing cost, improving efficiencies, finding new ways of engaging with citizens and empowering the community to do more for itself.
Ben Dowd, director of business at O2, explains that Future Fund should drive change within local governments, IT Pro states.
Dowd says: “What is different is that the Future Fund will give a glimpse of what is possible with a bit of imagination and we will support the winning bids by providing investment in their IT infrastructure coupled with resource and expertise.”
The Future Fund is the result of a consultation exercise by O2’s Local Government Futures Forum, which aims to understand what the role of ICT should be in modernising councils in challenging times, Mobile Magazine says.
O2 head of local government Neil Prior notes: “ICT really does have the ability to transform local government. At O2, we want to ensure that in difficult times we step up and help to provide some of the expertise and technology that can help to drive that change and act as an example for others.”