Tallinn
Estonia
- Ghazi Mabrouk
- Angel Draev
- Anastasiia Dudko
Introductory
Event organizer(s)
Supported by
Description
This training course will equip participants with the knowledge and tools to design and implement secure, interoperable, and citizen-focused digital public services. Through an in-depth exploration of GovStack’s modular building blocks, service design tools, and frameworks such as PAERA, and real-world case studies, this course offers practical insights into creating efficient and scalable digital services. Participants will learn about digital identity, security, interoperability, and cross-border services, gaining hands-on experience with tools and sandbox environments to develop transformative digital solutions oriented to citizens’ needs.
With the generous support of the Global Gateway initiative of the European Union, participation in this training is provided free of charge for selected applicants. This includes accommodation, meals, and other organized and extracurricular activities. Participants or their organizations are responsible for covering the costs of travel expenses to and from their home countries to Tallinn, Estonia, and visa application costs if applicable.
This course is designed for policymakers, government officials, IT specialists, and digital transformation leaders involved in developing or managing public sector digital services.
The course is ideal for professionals working in e-governance, digital public infrastructure, and public service delivery, as well as those aiming to enhance their knowledge of scalable and interoperable digital solutions. The course also targets international development practitioners, consultants, and technology providers who collaborate with governments to implement impactful digital public infrastructure projects.
Members of the above-mentioned target population are invited to apply for the training if they meet the following criteria:
- Hold an undergraduate degree in a relevant field or have a minimum of three years of experience in e-government and/or digital transformation-related fields if they do not hold a university degree.
- Possess a fluent level of English.
- Complete the application questionnaire and attach an up-to-date CV, a recommendation letter from their employer, or a motivation letter.
- Government officials and policymakers from developing countries, particularly women, are encouraged to apply.
Selection will be conducted by the course organizers, who will consider the above entry requirements along with an analysis of the application questionnaire and the recommendation/motivation letter of each applicant.
The maximum number of participants is limited to 30.
At the end of the training, participants will be able to:
- Design a high-level architecture for a digital public service using the PAERA framework.
- Implement core concepts of modular building blocks for digital societies: data exchange, digital identity, and digital payments for a selected digital service.
- Evaluate implementation challenges and failure points of DPI in real-world cases.
- Develop a risk-aware implementation roadmap that integrates legal, institutional, and regulatory compliance.
- Apply the PAERA framework and service design principles to design a prototype of a public service within a collaborative group project.
The GovStack Essentials course employs an interactive, challenge-based learning methodology in which participants are tasked with innovating a solution to an existing public service challenge in their country. It combines expert-led lectures, hands-on group exercises, and real-world case studies to equip participants with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills.
At the end of the week, participants leverage the GovStack Sandbox to test the developed digital solution. This experiential approach is reinforced by collaborative group assignments and breakout sessions, blending technical and policy insights to ensure a holistic understanding of building and managing DPI ecosystems.
Participants will be assessed based on the following criteria:
- Online modules completion (self-study): 15%
- Active participation (on-site lectures and activities): 35%
- Group project: 50%
To receive the ITU certificate, participants must achieve a minimum total score of 70% and attend all on-site sessions.
The primary assessment will be the final group project, in which teams will pitch an innovative solution to their identified e-governance challenge. Evaluation will consider both the quality of the idea and the level of individual contribution and collaboration within the group. Active participation throughout the week will also be taken into account in the final assessment.
Arrival in Tallinn
02 August 2026
- 19:00-21:00: Welcome Group Dinner
Day 1: The Problem & The Vision - Why is traditional e-government failing, and what is the new paradigm?
03 August 2026
- 09:00-09:10: Registration
- 09:10-09:30: Opening of the Training
- 09:30-10:00: Icebreaking session
- 10:00-11:00: Session 1
The Problem: Why is traditional e-government failing?- Key limitations of monolithic and siloed government IT systems
- Overview of the GovStack Building Block approach
- Foundational DPI (data exchange, digital identity, and digital payments)
- 11:00-11:30: Coffee Break
- 11:30-12:30: Session 2
The Vision: Avoiding the Monolith: Integrating Microservices for Seamless Digital Transformation with PAERA- Apply PAERA framework to the development of agile, modular, and resilient DPI
- Key principles of microservice architecture
- Technology-agnostic and interoperable solutions for sustainable digital transformation in government
- Apply PAERA principles to an existing e-government service for improved scalability and flexibility
- 12:30-13:30: Lunch Break
- 13:30-15:00: Session 3
Group Project Launch & Ideation- Introduction to the challenge, roles assignment, and objectives
- Develop clearly articulated problem statement, vision statement, key stakeholders, and desired outcomes
- 15:00-17:30: Study visit
- 19:00-21:00: Dinner
Day 2: The Technical Blueprint - How do we architect and experiment with a modular digital service?
04 August 2026
- 09:00-09:30:Recap and Q&A
- 09:30-11:00: Session 1
Interoperability & Cross-Border Services with data exchange- Information Mediator (IM) building block in enabling secure and efficient data exchange between government systems
- Implementing cross-border digital services using GovStack specifications
- Interoperability standards in supporting data integrity, reusability, and trust across
- Practical examples of cross-border data exchange
- 11:00-11:30: Coffee Break
- 11:30-12:30: Session 2
Digital Identity & Security- Identity BB in government services authentication
- Key features and benefits of secure digital identities
- Legal, technical and trust frameworks for digital identity and electronic signatures
- Consent management mechanisms to protect citizen privacy while enabling data sharing
- 12:30-13:30: Lunch Break
- 13:30-15:00: Session 3
Group Work: Technical Architecture Design- Map the project's business process flow to specific GovStack building BBs
- Create a high-level architectural diagram for the project
- 15:00-17:30: Study visit
- 19:00-21:00: Dinner
Day 3: The Implementation Engine: Leading the Human & Organizational Side of DPI
05 August 2026
- 09:00-09:30: Recap and Q&A
- 09:30-11:00: Session 1
Transforming Digital Services: From AS-IS to TO-BE- Techniques for mapping and analyzing systems
- Redesigning digital services for efficiency and user-centricity
- 11:00-11:30: Coffee Break
- 11:30-12:30: Session 2
Leading & Communicating Change- Identifying risks and building capabilities for digital transformation
- Applying ADKAR framework to design change management strategies
- Evaluating real-world cases to reduce resistance and improve adoption
- 12:30-13:30: Lunch Break
- 13:30-15:00: Session 3
Group Work- Analyse the impact of the change in the society, using a whole-of-society lens
- Design a TO-BE solution, communication strategy, change management plan, and implementation roadmap
- 15:00-17:30: Study visit
- 19:00-21:00: Dinner
Day 4: Future-proofing our DPI: Towards an Agentic State
06 August 2026
- 09:00-09:30: Recap and Q&A
- 09:30-11:00: Session 1
Legal Frameworks for an Intelligent State- Analyzing legal frameworks and regulatory requirements for digital public infrastructure
- Proposing policy reforms and sandbox approaches to strengthen digital governance
- 11:00-11:30: Coffee Break
- 11:30-12:30: Session 2
Towards an Agentic State- Leveraging data and agentic AI for proactive citizen-centric services
- Assessing governance frameworks for responsible AI deployment in government
- 12:30-13:30: Lunch Break
- 13:30-15:00: Session 3
Group Work- Integrate legal framework considerations and agentic AI capabilities
- Incorporating regulatory and legal frameworks, evaluate opportunities and risks
- 15:00-18:00: Study Visit and Virtual tour in Tallinn Old town
- 19:00-21:00: Dinner
Day 5: The Solution Pitch and Wrap-Up
07 August 2026
- 09:00-09:30: Pitching Tips - Selling Your Solution
- 09:30-10:30: Session 1
Final Mentoring Session- Receive feedback to strengthen prototype design
- 11:00-11:30: Coffee Break
- 11:30-13:30: Session 2
Case Study Final Presentations- Presentations of digital service prototypes
- 13:30-14:30: Lunch Break
- 14:30-16:30: Session 3
Course Evaluation, Graduation Ceremony, and Certificates - 19:00-21:00: Final Dinner
Financial support available
ITU will cover training content, accommodation for 6 nights, meals and training activities.
Registration information
Unless specified otherwise, all ITU Academy training courses are open to all interested professionals, irrespective of their race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, economic status and other diverse backgrounds. We strongly encourage registrations from female participants, and participants from developing countries. This includes least developed countries, small island developing states and landlocked developing countries.
