EIT Community RIS HUB

The past week was marked by an important event for entrepreneurs and innovators.

On January 30, 2024, Kyiv hosted the summit "EIT Community RIS Hub: Igniting Innovation in Ukraine" summit was held in Kyiv on 30 April, where the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) community and initiatives were presented, and discussion panels were held on the possibilities of financial and non-financial support for innovation and business in Ukraine.

The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), the Ukrainian Startup Fund, and other EU institutions.

The event was attended by representatives of the UBA to strengthen communication and cooperation with representatives of the EIT Community.

The summit was held in Unit.City, where the EIT Community RIS Hub office is located - a hub as part of the network of hubs in Europe. This was announced by the National Secretary of EIT in Ukraine, Igor Markevich, who presented the EIT Community RIS Hub in Ukraine and invited everyone to contact and offer their ideas, events, programs for joint implementation.

Igor Markevych noted that this is a new institution in our country that has many ideas and plans. The EIT Community RIS Hub in Ukraine was launched last year and it is associated with the launch of three initiatives: the opening of the Horizon Europe office in Ukraine, the launch of the EIT Community Hub program, and the launch of the Seeds of Bravery consortium program, where Ukrainian startups will have access to development grants. The speaker emphasized that the EIT community is primarily about access to the opportunities provided by EIT - funding, partnerships, project support, access to new products and new services. And such support is achieved through a combination of key pillars: entrepreneurial education and education in key industries, financial and non-financial support for innovative projects, business creation, and access to opportunities. And it is the EIT Community RIS Hub that will become a bridge that will connect innovators, business, and academic communities with the EIT community.

European speakers presented the EIT program and spoke about 9 key knowledge and innovation communities that EIT is working on. These are communities in the areas of health (EIT Health), climate (EIT Climate), culture and creativity (EIT Culture and Creativity), food (EIT Food), energy (EIT InnoEnergy), digital (EIT Digital), manufacturing (EIT manufacturing), raw materials (EIT Raw Materials) and mobility (EIT Urban Mobility). Speakers from each community expressed their intentions to support business, facilitate fundraising, and training. Each speaker invited to join the communities, seek information, and get in touch. The EIT Community is open for communication and cooperation, aiming to support business and innovation.

A representative of the Horizon Europe office in Ukraine spoke about initiatives, funding opportunities, and support in creating grant applications.

2 panel discussions, "Strategic Alignment: Integration of Ukraine's Technology Landscape with the EU" and "Navigating the Future - Technological Development and Vision in Ukraine", took place at the EIT Community RIS Hub Summit. The discussion of representatives of business, education and the public sector helped to identify key issues and areas of cooperation for the development of Ukraine's innovation ecosystem. The participants emphasized the need to build a community of innovation and business development in Ukraine.