GovHack, the 1st Innovation Center for Digital Transformation in Public Administration and Local Government, is launched following the positive evaluation of a proposal submitted to the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation of the Ministry of Development & Investment. Initially, 12 companies, 2 research institutes and 2 collective bodies will be participating in Govhack, while it will be supported by companies and organizations from Greece and abroad.

The purpose of GovHack is to support its member companies and partners with digital transformation in public administration (govtech), with the main goal of providing the appropriate resources that will enable them to meet the challenges and opportunities of the industry, at national and international level.

The Innovation Center for Digital Transformation in Public Administration and Local Government is to develop the necessary infrastructure and know-how as well as an ecosystem to support innovation in developing applications for the Digital Transformation of Public Administration and Local Government, through the provision of specialized innovative services and products as well as the transfer of know-how and technology to public sector organizations and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The GovTech term refers to the application of emerging technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence, sensors, internet of things, blockchain, data processing, open data, etc.) to improve the provision of public services by increasing efficiency and reducing costs. The GovTech sector is estimated to be worth over $ 1 trillion by 2025 worldwide.

Digital transformation in the public sector has accelerated significantly in the last two years, mainly due to the pandemic, and the development of new processes and digital systems has been a priority for governments and the public sector around the world. The crisis has led governments to redesign their services for the better. The needs created led to a new dynamic global ecosystem and large investments in companies of the industry.

With GovHack, an open structure is created in Greece, accessible to any interested natural person, public body, company, research institute, civil organization, etc. that wishes to actively participate in the digitization of the public sector at national and international level. The innovation center will enable new emerging companies and startups to engage in projects and processes of modernizing the public sector by providing solutions based on emerging technologies of our age, such as artificial intelligence, open data, blockchain and so on.

• To enable the modernization and development of organizations of the industry, through research and development of innovative, competitive products and services, as well as the transfer of technology to medium-sized enterprises.
• To enable the digital transformation and improvement of the technological maturity of public bodies, facilitating the improvement of their operation and the provision of new and contemporary services to the citizens and transactors.
• To enhance domestic production of know-how and technology in the field of digital transformation, increasing the overall competitiveness of the industry.
• To bridge technological progress with the officials’ skills, contributing to the adoption of new good digital practices in Public Administration.
• To utilize new emerging companies and startups for their participation in digital transformation actions, which has been quite difficult so far.