GovStack, an open-source community, has just launched an open call for the Women in GovTech challenge.
Themed around Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the challenge entails training and mentorship, collaborative design sprints, and opportunities to showcase prototypes that emerge from this challenge.
Currently recruiting for the third cohort, this challenge follows successful editions in 2023-24 and 2025.
The challenge is a joint initiative by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the World Bank, and the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (UN ODET), with support from UNDP.
What it is
The challenge brings together women innovators and digital leaders from around the world to co-design and prototype solutions that make DPI more inclusive, people-centred, and sustainable.
The programme continues to grow as a platform for learning, networking, and action, helping women shape the future of GovTech through open collaboration and global exchange.
Programme at a glance
The focus this year: moving beyond design to prototyping and real-world implementation pathways, to empower women to build citizen-centric digital government services.
Key themes include:
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Partnerships include: World Bank, UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (UN-ODET), UNDP, academic partner University College London (UCL) IIPP, and the Open Source Ecosystem Enabler (OSEE) initiative.
Why it matters
Digital transformation is reshaping how governments serve their citizens, but women remain underrepresented in GovTech leadership and innovation.
The Women in GovTech challenge aims to close this gap by supporting women-led solutions that enhance inclusion, digital trust, and accessibility in public digital systems.
By combining technical mentorship, peer learning, and exposure to real-world DPI challenges, the programme equips participants with the knowledge and confidence to lead change in their institutions and communities.
Who can apply
The challenge is open to women from all regions and sectors who are ready to make digital governance more inclusive.
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Mentees: Women working in government, private sector, civil society or academia. Background is no bar. (roles might include project coordinator, service designer, policy/legal advisor, user research specialist, solution architect, developer/tech specialist).
Language of delivery: English.
Time commitment: approx. 1.5 hours/week for lectures, + 1 hour for networking sessions (3 weeks out of 6), plus optional office hours and + 2 hours/week for assignments/group work.
Timelines
- Applications open: 3 November 2025
- Deadline for applications: 7 December 2025
- Selection announcements: 14 January 2026
- Training/Challenge period: February – March 2026 (6-week programme)
- Demo Day (final prototype pitches) – end of March 2026
- Graduation & alumni induction: Early April 2026
What participants can expect to gain:
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Hands-on experience designing and building digital government services with a modular/ building-block approach.
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Deepened understanding of DPI Safeguards (inclusion, equity, safety) and how to embed them from the start.
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Opportunities to pitch functional prototypes to ecosystem partners, with potential pathways toward implementation.
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Access to an international network of women practitioners and leaders in GovTech, and inclusion in the alumni network.
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Certification/recognition: Participants who complete all requirements receive a certificate of completion (and all participants a certificate of participation).
How to get started
Applications for the third cohort are now open until December 7, 2025.
Interested participants can apply via the official website: https://govstack.global/govstackwomen-in-govtech-challenge-wigtc-2026/
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GovStack is a global multi-stakeholder initiative that promotes a DPI approach, empowering governments to design and implement their own scalable, interoperable, and citizen-centric digital public services using a modular architecture based on reusable digital building blocks.
The initiative was founded by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the governments of Estonia and Germany, and the Digital Impact Alliance at the United Nations Foundation in 2020.