# Shaping Public Services through Innovation: Three Challenges Selected within GovTech Lab Ukraine

Within the GovTech Lab Ukraine programme, three GovTech challenges have been selected to advance into the pilot development stage and demonstrate how innovation can improve efficiency, transparency, and economic growth. In the next phase, Ukrainian and international startups will collaborate with government institutions to develop and test solutions in construction oversight, access to legal aid, and tourism sector recovery.

GovTech Lab UA is Ukraine’s first open innovation programme that helps Ukrainian government institutions solve real challenges with digital solutions that work for the public good. The programme is implemented by the Global Government Technology Centre Kyiv, in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the World Economic Forum, and with the support of Switzerland within EGAP Program, which is carried out by East Europe Foundation.Gov Tech Lab brings together ministries, state agencies, and national authorities to identify pressing public sector problems — and invites startups, tech companies, and innovators to co-develop and pilot practical digital solutions that deliver measurable impact. The goal of GovTech Lab is to accelerate the development, testing and piloting of innovative digital solutions across public services in Ukraine.In the first stage of the programme, 21 challenges were submitted by Ukrainian government institutions, and three challenges were selected to progress into the pilot development stage. In the next phase, Ukrainian and international startups will be invited to propose and test solutions in close cooperation with the respective institutions.


## The three selected challenges are:


## Tech for transparent, efficient decisions in urban development, submitted by the State Inspection of Architecture and Urban Planning

The process of obtaining building permits in Ukraine remains traditionally complex, labor-intensive, and prone to human error. The large volume of documentation, lack of qualified specialists, and complexity of inspections significantly slow down the processing of projects. By using AI to automatically check permit documentation, this initiative will help speed up project approvals, maintain consistent standards, and provide clear digital explanations for each decision. The result will be faster and more reliable permitting and a more predictable environment for urban development.


## Automatic provision of legal advice for the most common citizen requests, submitted by the Ministry of Justice

The Free Legal Aid system has faced overwhelming demand since the start of the full-scale war, registering over 742,000 client requests from 24 February 2022 to 1 July 2023. Most of these inquiries are repetitive, creating excessive workloads for lawyers and long waiting times for citizens in urgent need of help. This challenge aims to develop an AI assistant capable of providing accurate answers to the most common requests. Such a tool could reduce response times fivefold, handle around 60% of typical queries automatically, and free up lawyers to focus on complex cases — making access to justice faster and more equitable.


## Digital tech to build a transparent data-driven tourism management system, submitted by the State Agency for Tourism Development

Tourism, one of the fastest ways for communities to generate revenue, is currently constrained by a large shadow economy and limited digital management tools. The Unified Tourism Register, intended as the sector’s core system, still functions mainly as an administrative database. By transforming it into a modern analytical and management platform, this challenge could help reduce the administrative burden on businesses by more than 80%, and triple tourist tax revenues within several years. For Ukraine, this would mean not only greater transparency but also a powerful driver of post-war economic recovery.

The challenges were selected based on their policy relevance, potential for impact, scalability, and feasibility within the programme. The selection was conducted by an independent advisory board of experts, which included representatives of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, East Europe Foundation, WINWIN Project Office, GovTech Alliance of Ukraine, PUBLIC, GGTC Kyiv, and international GovTech experts.GovTech Lab Ukraine aims to foster a culture of cooperation between the public and private sectors, enabling faster innovation in government. By creating a safe environment for experimentation, the programme helps the public sector access high-impact solutions, while giving innovators the opportunity to test and scale technologies that strengthen public trust and support Ukraine’s recovery.


## Disclaimer:

GovTech Lab Ukraine is an open innovation program in government technology implemented by the Global Government Technology Center Kyiv (GGTC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the World Economic Forum, and with the support of Switzerland within EGAP Program, which is carried out by East Europe Foundation.

The Global Government Technology Center (GGTC) in Kyiv became the second GovTech centre in the world after Berlin and the 21st Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) in the World Economic Forum network. GGTC Kyiv is supported by Switzerland within EGAP Program, which is carried out by East Europe Foundation, and initiated by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and World Economic Forum.

To learn more about the GovTech Lab programme, visit this page.

[Link](https://www.kyivgovtechcentre.org/govtech-lab)