Through this alliance, Medellín strengthens its international positioning.
The Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Medellín (C4IR Medellín) and the Global Government Technology Centre Kyiv (GGTC Kyiv) of Ukraine, both part of the World Economic Forum network, are moving forward with a partnership focused on knowledge exchange and joint work.
Since the agreement was signed in 2025, two strategic meetings have been held with the participation of Ruta N’s Smart Cities team. The first focused on methodologies to address urban challenges, marking the start of joint implementation. The second delved into digital government platforms and citizen services, where Medellín presented Ciudadano 360, an integrated public management model, while Kyiv showcased Diia, its internationally recognized digital services platform.
For Kateryna Frolova, Director of GGTC Kyiv, the process goes beyond technical exchange. “This is about strengthening a global community of public innovators who are solving real urban challenges under different, yet equally complex, conditions. Kyiv and Medellín demonstrate that innovation in the public sector achieves greater impact when it responds to concrete needs, is validated in real environments, and is built through cross-sector collaboration,” she said. She also highlighted that the connection between the GovTech Lab approach and FutuMed, the District’s first Special Treatment Zone, creates a bridge between ecosystems that enables experimentation to be transformed into scalable public value.
These advances are integrated into the city’s strategy through FutuMed, where public challenges are turned into solutions through collaboration among academia, industry, and government. With four hubs under development and more than ten projects underway, this ecosystem is driving urban transformation based on science, technology, and innovation.
For her part, Ruta N’s CEO, Carolina Londoño, emphasized that the process is centered on people. “The transformation of a city stems from the ability to turn challenges into opportunities to innovate in real-world settings. In FutuMed, Medellín’s challenges find a space to be tested, refined, and scaled, strengthening a more resilient and adaptable District, where co-creation translates technical advances into well-being and progress,” she stated.
Through this alliance, Medellín strengthens its international projection as a benchmark in public innovation and urban transformation, with an agenda that connects local capabilities with global knowledge networks.
Learn about the six projects selected under the Results-Based Payment model for the first FutuMed cohort