Mid Sweden University

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the most prominent barriers to public sector innovation, but also display what an innovation hub can do to help bypass such barriers.Design/methodology/approachThis is an embedded case study with a deductive approach investigating innovation barriers in the public sector after a model of 8 different barriers which are all examined through a theoretical thematic analysis.FindingsLimited resources, poor leadership as well as limiting laws and regulations were revealed to be the greatest barriers to public sector innovation. A lack of incentives and rewards and resistant users and suppliers were deemed not to hinder innovation especially. Innovation hubs can help bypass these barriers by bringing in external resources as money and substitutes, but also by offering public sector employees a platform to meet between organizational units, thereby allowing them to circumvent risk-avoiding cultures and ill-fitting structures to innovation that tend to exist in the public sector.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to innovational projects of one hub, situated in a relatively small town in Sweden. The results might not be fully transferable to other countries or contexts.Practical implicationsThe results of the study could give an indication to public sectors what use an innovation hub can have in bypassing barriers to innovation.Originality/valueFew studies have addressed the role of innovation hubs in the public sector, especially in combination with innovation barriers.