Open data — the foundation of an accountable Ukraine

The project “Promoting transparency, accountability and justice through open data” was implemented by the NGO “Open Data Association” with financial support from the National Endowment for Democracy.

Implementation period: July 2023 – June 2025.

Through this project, the Open Data Association aimed to promote financial transparency and access to open data amid Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

Today, the system is already used by journalists and researchers from more than 15 countries to expose corruption schemes and the influence of corrupt and terrorist groups.

Results

Within the project, the Open Data Association team achieved the following results:

1. Developed the module “Search system for identifying individuals and companies linked to sanctioned organisations”, which helps trace links to assets of terrorist organisations and states that may be subject to sanctions. The module also makes it possible to track links between companies and politically exposed persons (PEPs) and to uncover corruption schemes and political lobbying that undermine transparency and accountability in public administration.
2. Held 54 training and information events for law enforcement agencies, civil servants, journalists and civil society representatives. As a result, law enforcement agencies can now use the tool to detect corruption schemes, including those linked to Russian interests.
3. Received 22 media mentions and references in investigations.

The project has been extended until 2025, so there is even more useful work ahead!

Open Data Education Against Corruption & Fraud (ODEAC) is a comprehensive project aimed at strengthening the capacity of Ukrainian public authorities and law enforcement agencies to counter fraud and corruption. The project focuses on the practical use of open data to protect the financial interests of Ukraine and the EU, particularly in the context of international assistance and reconstruction. We equip civil servants and law enforcement officers (the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police, the Bureau of Economic Security, the NACP, the SBU and the State Financial Monitoring Service) with hands-on skills in using OSINT tools and registers to uncover hidden schemes.

The project is implemented by the NGO “Open Data Association” in partnership with YouControl, with financial support from the European Union under the EU Anti-Fraud Programme (EUAF), coordinated by OLAF.

Project goal

To strengthen the capacity of public institutions to:

• identify fraud and corruption risks;
• analyse links between entities and financial flows;
• use open data in investigations;
• ensure transparency in the use of international financial assistance.

Main beneficiaries

• civil servants;
• representatives of anti-corruption bodies;
• law enforcement agencies (NABU, SBI, BES, SBU, National Police, State Tax Service, State Audit Service, financial monitoring, etc.);
• international institutions working to protect the EU’s financial interests.

In total, the programme is expected to reach around 800 participants.

Expected results

• participants will gain practical skills in working with open data and open data-based tools;
• participants and the public will better understand fraud indicators in line with EU standards;
• participants will train on real cases and learn investigation practices that use open data;
• exchange of experience with representatives of other agencies;
• a professional development certificate (for Basic Course 1 — accredited by the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, 0.5 ECTS).

Project structure

The project runs for 12 months and consists of 5 stages.

Stage 1. Needs assessment

At the start of the project, the Open Data Association team assesses the needs of the main beneficiaries through interviews, surveys and desk research. This makes it possible to tailor the programme to the real challenges and working practices of the institutions.

Stages 2–3. Basic and advanced training

Basic Course 1 “Due Diligence Fundamentals: tools, algorithms and practical application using YouControl”

Online training on the basic use of open data for due diligence, compliance and counterparty checks. 400 representatives of public authorities will take part, including specialists working with international technical assistance. The course is accredited by the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, allowing participants to earn 0.5 ECTS credits. In addition to theory, participants will gain hands-on experience with YouControl, Ukraine’s leading analytical system for counterparty checks.

Basic Course 2 for law enforcement on using open data to counter corruption and fraud in international technical assistance

Within the project, the Open Data Association will develop a unique specialised course for law enforcement officers authorised to prevent and investigate corruption and fraud. The training will focus on indicators of fraud related to EU financial assistance, as well as on analysing complex schemes and financial risks. After piloting, the course will be made publicly available.

Advanced practical course on using open data to protect the financial interests of Ukraine and the EU

Based on the results of the basic training, the most motivated participants will be invited to an advanced in-person training, where they will learn to use open data to investigate real cases. Participants will receive certificates upon completion.

Stage 4. Experience exchange and inter-agency cooperation

A final inter-agency conference with law enforcement agencies from Ukraine and the EU is planned for the end of the project. It will include a workshop where mixed groups of representatives from different agencies and countries will work on practical tasks involving open data.

Stage 5. Guidelines

The project will produce a practical guide to help public authorities and law enforcement agencies integrate open data into their daily work and build algorithms that use open data to detect fraud. It will also describe practical cases and investigation tools. The document will be presented at the final conference and shared with Ukrainian and European institutions.

The project “Open data tools for public oversight of Ukraine’s reconstruction” was implemented by the NGO “Open Data Association” with support from the project “Effective Public Governance through GovTech and Transparency in Ukraine”, implemented by the German federal enterprise Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Government.

Implementation period: August 2023 – April 2024.

The project’s overarching goal was to create an innovative tool that improves the efficiency of public procurement and reduces corruption risks in procurement related to Ukraine’s recovery after the full-scale invasion.

Results

Within the project, the Open Data Association team achieved the following results:

1. Developed the “Module for public oversight of Ukraine’s reconstruction”, which enables thorough checks of public procurement participants at the stage of selecting the winner and signing contracts. Its main users are procuring entities, oversight and law enforcement agencies, as well as anti-corruption NGOs and media, which supports proper oversight of how public funds are spent on reconstruction.
2. Held presentations and trainings on the module’s features for representatives of central government bodies, regulatory and law enforcement agencies, the public and the media.
3. Shared information about the project in the media and on social networks to reach the widest possible audience.

Thanks to this project, we created an effective tool for preventing corruption in public procurement that civil servants can use in their daily work, significantly contributing to transparency and accountability in Ukraine’s reconstruction.

The project “Strengthening public oversight of sanctions pressure on Russia by expanding access to open data” was implemented by the NGO “Open Data Association” with financial support from the International Renaissance Foundation.

Implementation period: November 2022 – April 2023.

Through this project, the Open Data Association aimed to create a tool for the secure exchange of experience among investigative journalists, for testing innovative methods of finding information about links between companies or public figures and terrorist or sanctioned organisations, and for improving the quality of journalistic work by expanding journalists’ access to open data.

Results

As a result of the project, the Open Data Association achieved the following:

1. Developed the “Module for strengthening public oversight of sanctions pressure on Russia by expanding access to open data” and created a platform for discussing how journalists can resume their work under martial law.
2. Developed a verification algorithm for module users and added the option to invite colleagues, which encourages cooperation on cross-border investigations not only into Russian sanctions but also into corruption.
3. Held webinars on the module’s features for Ukrainian and international media outlets and law enforcement representatives.
4. Project participants produced their own media projects related to anti-corruption investigations.