To overcome the limitation of traditional procurement on innovation, the Ukrainian government is now inviting global innovators to tackle its most pressing public sector challenges.
From now until October 28, global startups (who are in series A+ and beyond), tech companies and innovators could submit their solutions in the sectors of urban planning, legal services and tourism management here.
The challenge is part of the GovTech Lab Ukraine programme, which partners with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and other non-profit partners.
On November 19, GovTech Lab Ukraine will announce the nine selected startups (three for each public sector challenge). The selected startups will then be expected to participate in the Innovation Bootcamp from this November to December.
Following this bootcamp, winners of the pitch contest at the final Demo Day would receive up to €150,000 (S$226,453) in funding to implement the projects within the Ukrainian government.
The constraints of public sector procurement
Speaking to GovInsider, Global Government Technology Centre (GGTC) Kyiv’s Head, Zoya Lytvyn, highlights that traditional procurement models in the government are “often too rigid and slow to keep pace with the urgency of today’s public sector challenges.”
The programme serves as a “safe space for co-creation and piloting” between startups and government partners.
“We allow startups and government partners to test solutions in real conditions before moving to full-scale procurement, basically it’s a ‘test first, buy later’ model,” she notes.
Explaining how this model works, she notes that an open innovation programme like GovTech Lab Ukraine can rapidly validate digital solutions in a matter of months, not years, thereby reducing risk for all parties and quickly generating evidence of successful solutions.
Additionally, this delivers practical government tools and establishes a more agile pathway for public sector innovation, she notes.
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Ukraine’s three priority public sector challenges
For the 2025 challenge, GovTech Lab Ukraine is prioritising three public sector challenges in urban management, legal assistance and tourism sector management.
For urban management, the State Inspectorate for Architecture and Urban Planning is looking for a digital solution to simplify the analysis of construction documents, improving the efficiency and transparency of decision-making in the field of architecture and construction.
Currently, Ukrainian civil servants manually review the construction permits. And while there is an advisory tool to help citizens with submitting their building permit applications, the tool does not simplify the permitting process itself.
For legal assistance, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine needed a digital assistant to resolve repetitive requests around common issues (e.g. social benefits, family relations and compensation for damages), while allowing the free legal aid (FLA) system specialists to prioritise more complex cases.
Currently, there is the “WikiLegalAid” Telegram chatbot and hotline providing information on common requests.
For tourism, Ukraine hopes to improve the functionalities of its existing Unified Tourism Register (UTR). Currently, UTR digitises data collection, but does not provide integrated data, analytical tools or other user-oriented services to translate data into actionable insights.
A multi-stakeholder approach to determining the challenges
“These are areas where current systems are under strain and where transparent, efficient processes can tangibly improve people’s lives and strengthen resilience,” says Lytvyn.
Aside from policy relevance, Lytvyn adds that the focused areas for the first edition of GovTech Lab Ukraine were also determined by other factors.
These included the solutions’ technical and market viability, their strategic fit and risk exposure, their capacity for generating fresh, innovative approaches and their eventual scalability and broad impact.
“To ensure legitimacy and broad buy-in, we convened an Advisory Board of government representatives, expert practitioners, and community stakeholders,” she explains, adding that this multi-stakeholder group reviewed and validated the three priority public sector challenges.
What can the startups expect
“We will support startups in navigating procurement rules, standards, and data governance frameworks, which often pose barriers to adoption,” says Lytvyn, explaining what the nine startups can expect from the Innovation Bootcamp.
“They will gain direct institutional access and integration pathways through engagement with Ukrainian government agencies, ensuring their solutions meet real policy needs and regulatory requirements,” she explains.
The selected startups will also attend training modules and receive mentorship support from policymakers, domain experts and experienced GovTech practitioners.
Startups will work directly with relevant Ukrainian government agencies to test, iterate and scale their solutions with end-users in live environments.
“The Bootcamp prepares teams for the realities of scaling in government – from procurement strategies to citizen engagement,” she explains.
This culminates in a Demo Day where the nine startups pitch their refined prototypes, with winning startups moving forwarded into funded pilots of up to €150,000.