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- GovTech
Rethinking GovTech: Ukraine’s Framework for Smarter Public-Private Partnerships
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- Reading time:
- 3 min
A new case study on the GovTech Intelligence Hub explores how governments can build smarter, faster, and more accountable partnerships with the private sector — using Ukraine’s digital transformation as a central example.
The article, co-authored by Valeriya Ionan, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, and Manuel Kilian, Managing Director of the Global Government Technology Centre Berlin (GGTC Berlin), challenges the old binary of «public versus private» in the digital state.
Instead, it proposes a strategic framework for structuring government technology partnerships across the entire tech stack — from citizen services to infrastructure — guided by clear principles of innovation, resilience, and accountability.
From Ideology to Strategy
The authors argue that the real question for modern democracies is not whether to partner with the private sector, but how to do so strategically.
Rather than ideological debates, governments need layered models of collaboration that combine public oversight with private innovation.
The article highlights Ukraine’s rapid creation of the Air Alert app in the first days of the full-scale invasion — a joint effort between the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Ajax Systems, and ST Falcon. Developed in hours rather than months, the system became a life-saving tool for millions of citizens.
This partnership did not follow traditional procurement rules — it was, as the authors note, «a strategic partnership under the ultimate pressure test.»
Ukraine’s experience illustrates a broader principle: in times of rapid technological change and geopolitical instability, the speed and effectiveness of cooperation matter more than rigid structures. The state’s task is to calibrate public and private roles to deliver services quickly while maintaining democratic accountability.
The End of Binary Thinking
For too long, public-private partnerships in GovTech have been trapped in ideology — either seen as inevitable or as a threat to sovereignty. The paper argues this binary framing is outdated and counterproductive.
Different technological layers — from citizen-facing apps to infrastructure — require different partnership models, not one-size-fits-all approaches.
Eleven Principles for Effective Partnerships
The proposed framework outlines eleven strategic principles, grouped under four imperatives:
- Strategic Innovation: partnerships give governments access to private-sector innovation, deep technological expertise, and operational velocity.
- Risk and Resilience: well-structured PPPs enable smart risk-sharing, adaptability by default, and collaboration critical for national security.
- Ecosystem Development: PPPs multiply economic success, grow innovation ecosystems, and balance local and global competition.
- Service Excellence: citizen-centric design and international interoperability ensure scalable, high-quality digital governance.
Ukraine’s Diia ecosystem demonstrates these principles in action — uniting thousands of partners from banks and telecoms to educational institutions. Together, they enable continuous innovation and international integration of Ukraine’s digital state.
The Future is Collaborative
The conclusion is both practical and philosophical: the future of democracy-driven innovation lies in collaboration.
Ukraine’s transformation shows that under extreme pressure, shared ownership between the public and private sectors can achieve results once thought impossible.
The challenge for democratic nations now is to harness this collaborative intensity proactively — building the trust, frameworks, and shared purpose that crises often accelerate, but without waiting for crises to begin.
Read the full case study on the GovTech Intelligence Hub:
Beyond the Public-Private Divide: A Strategic Framework for Government Technology Partnerships
