GovTech in Europe between public- and privateness—A Delphi-based research agenda

GovTech is emerging as a policy-relevant frame at the intersection of digital government, public procurement, and startup innovation. Yet research remains fragmented and often disconnected from the institutional conditions that shape implementable solutions. This paper develops a stakeholder-validated, dimensional publicness theory informed research agenda for GovTech in the European context using a multiround agenda-setting Delphi study with experts from public administrations, industry, and academia. Synthesizing qualitative inputs and quantitative prioritization, we identify thematic clusters and topic areas, formulate exemplary research questions, and provide rationales that connect each area to concrete governance and implementation challenges. To assess dynamism, we additionally examine perceived relevance trends across two measurement points (2023 and 2025), highlighting where urgency is increasing and where research sequencing is needed. The resulting agenda informs scholarship by clarifying GovTech as a hybrid, regulation-shaped domain and offers entry points for empirical and design-oriented research on ecosystem formation, procurement, regulation, and strategic scaling.