Government uses technology to manage internal projects and procurement, to track infrastructure, to regulate zoning — to name just a few examples. Government also uses external/citizen-facing tools to deliver health care, collect taxes/fees, to issue licenses and permits, to convene citizens, to manage water and sewer, and on and on…
Govtech initiative are enabling governments to become more efficient, more responsive, and better able to serve society trough better government platforms and registers as well as better services for citizens and better tools for public servants.
In recent years, the European Union has driven immense progress in part, trough the EU eGovernment Action Plan 2016-2020 and lately, the Tallinn Declaration, which have set out to reform policy frameworks and encourage change across all EU member states. There are notable examples of success but there remain significant barriers to integrating technology into core government function in Europe as many countries still lag behind.
Therfore, Govtech startup Europe Awards aims at convincing governments across Europe to implement or reinforce innovative technological solutions for their workers and their citizens, overcoming social and legal barriers and creating a common framework.
Rewarding startups offering governments and citizens innovative improved solutions to multiple services in diverse fields.
The most important eligibility criteria are the following: