Object – Aim

Although there is no universally accepted definition, recent research defines digital transformation as"the process of fundamental change driven by digital technologies, aiming to achieve radical improvements and innovations in an entity (organization, business, industry, or society), with the goal of creating value for its stakeholders through strategic balancing of its critical resources and capabilities."This definition suggests that digital transformation primarily concerns change management and less about technology, which makes the development of appropriate management tools even more crucial. In this sense, digital transformation is being systematically approached at international, European, and national levels, through the formulation and implementation of corresponding strategies. Similar actions are recorded in a range of cities and societies, as well as organizations and businesses, while large-scale initiatives are also being funded in less developed countries.

The digital transformation of the public sector represents a significant challenge, as despite the implementation of large-scale strategies for digital governance, goals that align with the efficiency of transactions and the achievement of smart governance are still being set (Anthopoulos et al., 2021), where technology leads to self-evolving public services. A critical success factor is the presence of properly trained personnel in the public sector, particularly in the new required skills and technologies that can overcome the barriers of resistance to change, as well as other types of failures in the implementation of digital governance programs (Anthopoulos et al., 2016).

Therefore, the proposed postgraduate program aims to present students with the challenges faced by governments, as well as to help them understand the emerging opportunities and issues the public administration faces in their digital transformation. Furthermore, it aims to provide them with the necessary knowledge required for the design, management, and implementation of digital technologies in the public sector.

The MSc in "Government Digital Innovation and Transformation" follows a modern yet innovative interdisciplinary approach, according to which graduates of the program will be able to:

• Understand the theoretical background of digital transformation and digital governance.
• Manage the development of strategy and innovation in public administration.
• Manage the sustainable development of projects in the public sector.
• Organize and manage data generated in the public sector and understand its use in governance.
• Understand the techniques for activating citizens.

Understand the core modern technologies in the public sector such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, big data analytics, security, privacy, etc.