On December 2, 2025, the first Tech Unity: Clusters Forum took place at Mystetskyi Arsenal — a large-scale event that gathered nearly 3,000 participants from across Ukraine: members and partners of IT clusters and communities, policymakers, tech industry professionals, representatives of dual-use and defense sectors, investors, and educators.

The GovTech Alliance of Ukraine (GTA UA) was featured in several key panels, sharing practical cases, insights on the development of the GovTech market, and approaches to strengthening cooperation between the state and technology companies.

GTA UA’s Participation in the Forum Programme

Panel: “The Value of Cluster Membership for Business: Practical Cases” — Community Stage

Kateryna Stavniichuk, CEO of GTA UA, joined the discussion and spoke about the role of industry associations in shaping the market, strengthening companies, and creating practical value for their members.

Kateryna shared GTA UA’s experience in developing updated requirements for the lifecycle of public digital products — created in response to the private sector’s request for clearer rules of the game in the GovTech domain. This work was conducted within the working groups of the Digital Competence Center of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, coordinated by State Enterprise “Diia” and supported by the European Union within the DT4UA project, implemented by the e-Governance Academy (eGA).

She also highlighted GTA UA’s partnership with CDTO Campus and the involvement of member companies in training digital leaders for the public sector — one of the strategic steps toward strengthening Ukraine’s GovTech ecosystem.

Panel: “GovTech: Success Stories and Key Bottlenecks. How Do We Move to the Next Level of Digitalisation?” — Community Stage

GTA UA was represented by:

• Roman Lanskyi, Co-founder & CEO of Strimco, Chair of the GTA UA Board
• Oleksandr Iefremov, Co-founder & CEO of Kitsoft, GTA UA Board Member

The speakers shared practical experience from their companies’ large-scale digital transformation projects and spoke about the challenges they had faced. They outlined major barriers hindering GovTech development in Ukraine and offered their perspectives on tools and approaches that can move the sector forward.

A significant focus was placed on cybersecurity challenges. Roman Lanskyi emphasized that ineffective regulation based on outdated standards may cause more harm than the potential risks of digitalizing processes and data within public institutions. Oleksandr Iefremov stressed the importance of recognising and assuming responsibility by all parties involved in public-sector digitalisation projects, which is critical for the resilience of information and communication systems.

The speakers also discussed Ukrainian GovTech export potential — opportunities for scaling Ukrainian solutions to international markets and the unique expertise Ukrainian teams bring globally.

Panel: “Technology for Education and Education for Technology: Showcases” — Workshop Stage

Oleksii Radchenko, Founder & CEO of Prozori Solutions and GTA UA Board Member, moderated the discussion in which participants reflected on technologies used in the education sector and the growing need for skilled technical professionals.

Under his moderation, experts explored real opportunities and limitations of using AI in education, the role of engineers in building complex digital solutions, and the challenges young people face in career orientation. Oleksii facilitated a meaningful dialogue, underscoring the importance of practical technical training even in the era of rapidly evolving AI tools.

The Significance of Tech Unity for the Market

The Tech Unity: Clusters Forum became an important platform for dialogue between technology communities, business, and the state. The event demonstrated that synergy between communities, coordinated efforts, and shared standards are essential for building a resilient and competitive digital ecosystem in Ukraine.

“Tech Unity signals that Ukraine’s tech ecosystem is becoming mature and coordinated. In GovTech, it’s crucial to build strong networks of partnerships between business, the state, and regional clusters. These connections enable us to create complex solutions and scale them internationally. A strong ecosystem creates strong products — and strong products give Ukraine a chance to become a global leader in digital government,” — Oleksandr Iefremov, CEO of Kitsoft.

GTA UA supports initiatives that strengthen the state’s capacity in digital governance and values the opportunity to contribute to an open dialogue on challenges facing the tech industry. We will continue sharing our expertise and helping identify effective ways to overcome these challenges.

Photo: Kharkiv IT Cluster.

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