Three startups from Ukraine and Europe — Obriy AI, Itera, and citytax — have been selected to pilot digital solutions for public services within the GovTech Lab program, Ukraine’s first open innovation program for the public sector.
Three startups from Ukraine and Europe — Obriy AI, Itera, and citytax — have been selected to pilot digital solutions for public services within the GovTech Lab program, Ukraine’s first open innovation program for the public sector.
The decision was evaluated by members of the Advisory Board, including representatives of state institutions, international organizations, and the GovTech ecosystem.
During the evaluation, the jury took into account how well the solution responds to a real public sector problem, the realism and scalability of the pilot solution, how the technical architecture is built, as well as the potential impact and appropriateness of the use of funds.
Based on the evaluation results, one winner was determined for each challenge, who will move on to the implementation stage and receive funding of up to $100,000 for the implementation of the pilot project.
This year, the winners include both Ukrainian and European companies.
«This format of cooperation creates bilateral value: Ukrainian state bodies gain access to international experience and technologies, and international teams have the opportunity to work in one of the most dynamic state digital ecosystems, test solutions on complex real-world cases, and integrate into the Ukrainian GovTech market,» the program said in a press release.
The winner in the category «Automated Legal Assistance» was the Ukrainian company Obriy AI, which develops corporate-level AI solutions. The company’s state partner is the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.
The team will pilot the SURE platform, which will help process citizens' requests, analyze their content, work with knowledge bases, and support operators in providing consultations while complying with security and data protection requirements. The solution will reduce the time for processing requests, reduce the workload on specialists, and increase the stability of the service.
The winner in the category «Transparent Data-Based Tourism Management System» was the Lithuanian GovTech startup citytax UAB, which develops digital solutions for tourism data management and local taxation. The startup’s state partner is the State Tourism Development Agency of Ukraine.
As part of the pilot, the team will implement a platform for registering accommodation facilities and administering the tourist tax. The platform will provide structured data accounting, unified identifiers and tools to detect unregistered facilities. This will help increase market transparency, improve compliance and obtain better data for decision-making. The solution meets European regulatory requirements and is designed for integration with government systems and further scaling.
The winner in the category «Transparent and effective solutions in the field of urban development» was a Norwegian technology company with over 30 years of experience and a strong team in Ukraine — Itera. The startup’s partner from the state side is the State Inspectorate of Architecture and Urban Planning of Ukraine.
The team presented an AI solution that automates the collection, structuring, and verification of complex construction documentation. The system allows for regulatory compliance checks and ensures a transparent and traceable decision-making process for building permits.
Over the next 12 weeks, startup teams will work with government partners to develop and implement pilot solutions in real-world settings.
The pilot will allow for the assessment of practical results in terms of efficiency, functionality, and scalability potential so that government agencies can make informed decisions about further implementation.
