GovTech events

Mark your calendars for October 23 – the GovTech Leaders 2025 conference, dedicated to public sector innovation, will bring together for the seventh time in Vilnius the leaders of this field, policymakers, technology experts, researchers, and startups.

The event will be held at AC Hotel by Marriott, Vasario 16-osios 5, Vilnius. 

This year, the conference will focus on identifying and discussing the main dilemmas arising from the implementation of GovTech solutions in the public sector, and on encouraging dialogue among representatives from different sectors.

The agenda will be updated, but all interested participants are already welcome to register here:

Register for GovTech Leaders 2025

Conference (Main Stage)

09:00–10:00 Registration and welcome coffee 

10:00–10:15 Opening of the conference and welcome speeches (in English)

• Edvinas Grikšas, Minister of Economy and Innovation of Lithuania
• Patricija Reut, Acting Head of Innovation Agency Lithuania

10:15–10:30 Keynote speech From experimentation to empowerment: building a culture of open innovations in Ukraine (in English)

Kateryna Frolova, Head of Innovation Piloting, Global Government Technology Centre Kyiv, Ukraine 

10:30–10:45 Keynote speech: UAE’s experience of creating a culture of ‘yes, it’s possible’ and/or the “novelty fatigue” (online, in English) 

Abeer Tahlak, Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre For Government Innovation Prime Minister’s Office, UAE

10:45–11:30 Fishbowl discussion on GovTech dilemmas (in English)

• Martynas Survilas, Director of Innovation Development Department at Innovation Agency Lithuania
• Lina Viltrakienė, Ambassador for Digital and Technological Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania
• Angela Hanson, Senior innovation lead at the OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation
• Zoya Lytvyn, Head of the Global Government Technology Centre Kyiv, Ukraine
• Moderator: Luke Cavanaugh, Founder of interweave.gov

11:30–11:45 Presentation: From Digital Frontends to Whole-of-Society Transformation: How Do We Move Beyond Pilots to Sustainable Systemic Change? (in English)

Arusyak Martirosyan, Head of UX & Service Delivery at the Information Systems Agency of Armenia (ISAA)

11:45–12:45 Break

12:45–13:00 Presentation: Digital sovereignty starts where procurement decisions are made (in English)

Hessel van Oorschot, Program Manager, SiR Intergov, Netherlands

13:00–13:30 Presentation: Choosing the owner and provider of public digital services: balancing the roles of the state and the private sector (in English)

• Kadri Pungas, Policy Advisor, Estonian Association of IT and Telecommunications 
• Aivar Hiio, Innovation Team Lead, Government Office of Estonia

13:30–13:45 Presentation When Government Stops Spending and Starts Investing and Q/A (in English)

Karolis Granickas, Head of Europe, Open Contracting Partnership    

13:45–14:30 Panel discussion: Public Data, Private Lives: The Privacy–Convenience Tug-of-War (in English) 

• Prof. Dr. Peter Bruck, Founder, Research Studios Austria FG
• Uma Kalkar, Chief of Staff to Nicolas Miailhe, AI Governance Coordination Project
• Mariusz Przybyszewski, Head of the Unit of State Information Architecture at the Ministry of Digital Affairs 
• Gorka Oteiza, European Projects & GovTech at the Innovation Division in LANTIK, GovTech4All European Consortium
• Moderator: Ieva Žilionienė, Chief Consulting Officer, NRD Companies                                                                

14:30–15:00 Break

15:00–15:15 Presentation: Partnering with universities to navigate the accelerating technology development (online, in English)

Jan Madsen, Professor and Head of Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science (DTU Compute)

Note: learn more at the Workshop 4 by DTU Compute (15:00–16:15) – more info below!

15:15–15:45 Panel discussion powered by Kurk Lietuvai: From Reputation to Pay: Managing Tech Talent in the Public Sector (in English)

• Kristín Guðmundsdóttir, Director of Culture and Human Resources at Fjársýslan, Iceland
• Eimantas Norkūnas, former Head of the Governance Department, Government of Lithuania
• Dr. Antanas Raguotis, Head of IT, Centre of Registers of Lithuania 
• Moderator: Agnė Keršytė, Kurk Lietuvai alumna, Team Lead at Surfshark

15:45–16:15 Panel discussion powered by Mykolas Riomeris University: AI-Powered Public Sector: Navigating Regulation, Innovation, and Implementation (in English)

• Vadimas Ivanovas, Head of the State Data Governance Group
• Ieva Dunčikaitė, Project Leader, Transparency International 
• Anette Hiltunen, Independent GovTech Consultant, Denmark
• Moderator: Sergio Jofre, Chilean engineer and scientist, Director of the Human-Environment-Technology (HET) Systems Centre at Mykolas Romeris University

16:15–16:45 Final discussion: Conversation: Connecting the dots (in English)

• Leonard Vorobej, Advisor, Digital Initiatives Department, State Digital Solutions Agency, Lithuania
• Uga Kalendris, Innovation Laboratory Project Expert, State Chancellery, Latvia
• Giedrė Antanavičienė, Advisor at the Human Resource Development Division, Public Management Agency, Lithuania
• Moderator: Yogesh Hirdaramani, Manager, Public Sector Engagement and Public Policy, Global Finance and Technology Network (GFTN), Singapore

Workshops

10:45-11:45 Workshop 1: powered by Women4Cyber (in Lithuanian)

Taikinys – žmogus! „Ransomware“ ir socialinė inžinerija: kai technologija naudojama nulaužti žmogaus kodą (in Lithuanian)

Moderated by:

• Agnė Marija Bučytė, automotive cybersecurity specialist 
• Aušra Dilijonaitė, CISO, experienced cybersecurity and risk professional, cybersecurity lecturer

12:30–13:45 Workshop 2: 50 Years from Now – Envisioning Interoperable Futures: Exploring Risks and Opportunities through Speculative Scenarios (in English)

Moderated by:

• Magdalena Kamińska, expert on digital transformation of the public sector 
• Łukasz Małecki, analytical expert and IT project manager
• Marta Kotlarska, Chief Business Analyst at NASK 

13:50–14:50 Workshop 3: powered by State Digital Solutions Agency and GovTech Lab (in Lithuanian)

Human centric responses to life events: congratulations with a new baby!

Moderated by:

• Viktoras Urbis, innovation expert, GovTech Lab, Innovation Agency
• Linas Česnulis, advisor in the Digital Initiatives Department, State Digital Solutions Agency
• Leonard Vorobej, advisor in the Digital Initiatives Department, State Digital Solutions Agency

15:00–16:15 Workshop 4: powered by Technical University of Denmark (in English)

A co-created tool to foster democratic dialogues on digital transformation

Moderated by:

• Josefine Steinfurth, Program Partner in Tech4Civ at DTU Compute
• Diego Chavez, Program Partner in Tech4Civ at DTU Compute
• Cecilie Carstens, Program Partner in Tech4Civ at DTU Compute

Interactive sessions (Lobby) 

All day Beyond Chatbot : What’s Next for AI in the Public Sector?

Join Beyond Chatbot – an interactive session inviting you to explore how artificial intelligence can transform Lithuania’s public sector. During the breaks at the GovTech Leaders Conference, take the stage to share your vision, ideas, and expectations for the future of AI in public services and internal processes of public sector institutions.

This activity is organised by the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation, the State Digital Solutions Agency and GovTech Lab.

Be part of the conversation and help us shape how AI will drive innovation in the government!

11:45-12:45 Choices and Futures

Imagine you are a policy maker in country X. In the interactive game designed by us we will simulate decision making process and try to imagine possible consequences of these decisions on the futures that are possibly awaiting us.

We will ask participants to think, to choose and act but also to have a chat with each other hoping to spark interesting connections.