Hear from global leaders on what’s next for public sector transformation

The advancements in technology have been modernising legacy systems and putting in place more personalised services for citizens.

At the same time its rapid advancement posed both opportunities and challenges for the public sector.

To understand both the opportunities and challenges, global leaders in public sector innovation will gather to discuss and explore possibilities for digital transformation at the third edition of the Govtech 4 Impact World Congress (G4I 2026).

Being held in Madrid, Spain between May 5 to 7, the international forum aims to present practical content that explores cutting-edge solutions and actionable insights to reshape how governments operate.

GovInsider is proud to be a media partner for this congress.

According to Taiwan’s Cyber Ambassador, Right Livelihood Award Winner, Audrey Tang says, around the world, governments are racing to adopt new technologies, “but the real challenge isn’t just moving fast, it’s moving together.”

Tang will be one of the speakers at the congress, taking part in a Fireside Chat on Trustworthy Public Systems in an Age of Rapid Change.

She highlighted that public systems must be “more than just efficient, they must be radically transparent, deeply humane, and rooted in plurality” to ensure resilience and citizen participation from the start.

Toward more citizen-centric innovation

OECD’s Head of Digital, Innovative and Open Government Division, and G4I Expert Committee Member, Carlos Santiso, noted that the GovTech ecosystem was an enabler for user-centric digital governments.

“Going digital requires whole-of-government reforms that need political muscle and long-term vision to break up traditional data siloes within bureaucracies.

“Digitalisation is resetting the relationship between states and citizens, putting people at the centre of public services,” he added.

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Digital Services (DG DIGIT), Deputy Head of the Unit for Interoperability, Maximilian Strotman, noted that while technology could enable public sector innovation, it was a tool whose main objective was to further people-centric governance.

“We can find out how we can make the best use of today's technologies so we can safeguard people's rights, safeguard public participation, and ensure good policymaking for the benefit of all of us,” he said.

“We’re demonstrating that we can use technology for better purposes, for better services, for serving our people,” added Strotman.

Estonia’s Government Chief Digital Officer, Ott Velsberg, noted that the event will be an opportunity to discuss about practical and real outcomes.

“What matters now is implementation: how do we actually use digital tools and AI to improve state capacity, public services, economic competitiveness, and trust.

“G4I asks not just what is technologically possible, but what creates real value for governments and societies. That is the right question for this moment,” said Velsberg.

Public-private sector collaboration a way for innovation

“At a time of disruptive digital transformations, GovTech ecosystems offer new forms of public-private partnerships between tech start-ups and public administrations to empower citizens,” said Santiso.

He noted that GovTech start-ups have become “unexpected allies” in advancing governments’ ambitions for digital resilience and public innovation.

“The future of government is digital. It is time to reset governments in a start-up mode,” Santiso added.

To enable these partnerships, it was important to work on the demand and the supply of solutions, noted IDB Lab, Ecosystem Building and Acceleration Division, Lead Specialist, Natalia Laguyas.

“In terms of demand, there are opportunities to create more space for an open innovation strategy from the public sector, for them to buy the best solutions for the public services that they want to improve.

“On the supply side, [start-ups] need to work with [public sector] to help them develop the capabilities, not only in terms of technology but also how they manage their business models and create more opportunities for investments,” said Laguyas.

GovInsider previously reported how this strategy of open innovation was adopted by Argentina’s first GovTech Innovation Lab, CorLab, to foster a collaborative ecosystem where governments implement smarter solutions developed by local entrepreneurs.

Learning from cross-border innovation

The event’s international reach presented a chance to learn from use cases and lessons from the GovTech ecosystem worldwide.

Estonia’s Former Government CIO, and Managing Partner of Digital Nation, Siim Sikkut, noted that the congress is a space to get “fresh ideas to take home with you and get doing your work”.

The programme will feature nine curated sessions on each of the three days that will cover themes such as digital governance, data-driven policymaking, and citizen-centric service delivery.

Speakers would be sharing practical content that were helping to shape the global GovTech ecosystem.

“For me, it's an opportunity to learn and also showcase what is happening in Latin America and the Caribbean in terms of digital infrastructure, how to foster innovation from startups, how to work with them in order to reach the public sector, and what are the investment strategies that we can support to make them grow and create more impact at scale,” said IDB Lab’s Laguyas.

Beyond the sessions, the event would include high-level networking opportunities with senior government representatives, international organisations, and innovators committed to advancing public sector transformation.

“Collaboration and cooperation are a great tool to be in touch with new ideas, with new leaders, and with new leadership around the world. So, it’s perfect not only to learn, but also to network with other people,” noted Uruguay’s Former General Director of the Presidency, Agesic’s Former Executive Director, Hebert Paguas.

Registrations are open

Government participation is complimentary for the event, as G4I aims to drive public sector transformation and deliver meaningful public value.

Participants from other sectors may Register here.

The full programme, speakers, and registration can be accessed on the official website.