The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), hosted at Ruta N, consolidated strategic alliances in 2025 with the C4IRs of Kyiv (Ukraine), Berlin (Germany), and Malaysia, with the aim of connecting Medellín to international benchmarks in digital transformation.
Through the exchange of best practices, lessons learned, and methodologies, these alliances will support GovTech initiatives currently being advanced by public-sector entities within the District’s public conglomerate. These efforts range from data governance frameworks to the implementation of local government platforms.
“These alliances reflect Medellín’s commitment to delivering more efficient, transparent, and people-centered public services. Working hand in hand with global leaders in this field allows us to learn from their best practices to accelerate our digital transformation, while also demonstrating why Medellín is now a regional benchmark in public innovation,” said Catalina Restrepo Carvajal, Director of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The alliance with Kyiv’s Global Government Technology Centre (GGTC) will focus on knowledge transfer to strengthen the District’s GovTech capabilities. Through the exchange of experiences in public innovation and digital government, Ukraine’s government digitalization strategies were connected with the processes currently underway in Medellín. Key topics included Ukraine’s digital government strategy (Diia) and Medellín’s Citizen 360 initiative, as well as lessons learned related to urban challenges and open collaboration mechanisms.
With the GGTC in Berlin, an exchange of knowledge will be developed around governance frameworks, institutional experiences, and practical solutions to advance the ethical, secure, and effective use of public data. The goal is to strengthen the capacities of public-sector entities so that, through ethical and strategic use of data, they can advance the technological initiatives needed to improve citizens’ experiences.
Additionally, an alliance was formalized with the C4IR in Malaysia to boost Medellín’s digital innovation while also sharing the District’s experience in evaluating its Open Data Policy. This collaboration will enable the exchange of lessons on public policy design and digitalization strategies inspired by Malaysia’s MyGov platform, and link them with local initiatives such as Citizen 360, focused on improving public services through data-driven approaches.
Finally, as a result of its work, C4IR Medellín was included in the World Economic Forum’s Global GovTech Network. This network brings together public- and private-sector leaders to drive government digital transformation. Medellín thus joins this community alongside Kyiv and Berlin, positioning itself as a regional GovTech leader and reaffirming its commitment to developing technological solutions that improve the quality of life of its people.
