Ukraine support

Ukraine has always held a special place in our engagement with the EIT Community. Our collaboration with Ukrainian stakeholders and innovators began long before the onset of the Russian invasion to Ukraine. But when the war began, we mobilised our efforts. We first worked on the EIT Health Ukraine appeal, where we provided Ukraine with medical equipment. We then shifted our attention to nurturing Ukrainian talent by making it easier for them to access mentorships, internships, and opportunities in EU countries.

Red Kalyna

Since January 2023, we've been channelling our efforts towards supporting Ukrainian women, recognising their pivotal role in the nation's current economy. Despite their immense contributions, women in business, engineering, science, and innovation often go unnoticed. Red Kalyna shines a spotlight on these remarkable women, providing them with both local and pan-European recognition, an essential catalyst for success.

We firmly believe that the innovations and enterprises spearheaded by these women will significantly enhance Ukraine's economic competitiveness, positively impacting the lives of its citizens while aiding the country's reform efforts and fostering closer integration with the European Union.

The project is also open to external partners who wish to support women entrepreneurs from Ukraine. 

Founders2Founders

Founders2Founders is a series of one-day offline workshops in different Ukrainian cities at which successful founders, entrepreneurs, and investors get practical recommendations for developing innovative businesses. 

What else do we do in Ukraine?

The EIT continues to firmly support Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion. The EIT grant to Ukraine increased over 100-fold between 2021 and 2022. By mid-2023, the aggregated total EIT grant channelled to Ukraine had already topped EUR 2 M through several different EIT Community initiatives. Through its programmes, the EIT Community had supported 16 Ukrainian ventures, with well over 1 500 Ukrainians participating in education and training activities. Under the HEI Initiative, 40 Ukrainian organisations (academic and non-academic) are being supported through three innovation Calls (2021, 2022 and 2023). This is another example of the EIT’s work on developing regional expertise and systematically nurturing ecosystems in the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) countries.