On October 6, a presentation of the new opportunities of the EU’s Digital Europe program took place. The program was officially launched in 2021 to promote economic recovery and digital transformation of European countries in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. But with the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Digital Europe has taken on a new meaning.
Record grant budget
“Ukraine’s participation in the Digital Europe program is another step towards making our country the most digital-friendly country in the world. Ukrainians have the opportunity to receive grants for technology projects that can be scaled up to all EU countries,” said Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
According to him, the total budget for digital grants is a record 6 billion euros. Ukrainian specialists will also be able to join the network of European Digital Hubs to learn best international practices and share digitalization experience.
Under the program, you can get funding to develop your own projects. The total fund of the program is 7.5 billion euros until 2027. 6 of them are allocated to finance the program areas available to Ukraine.
Areas of development
This includes the following areas:
- high-performance computing,
- artificial intelligence,
- digital skills,
- the use of technology in the economy and society.
To learn more about the program and how to apply for funding, please follow this link.
“Despite the Russian invasion, Ukrainians are looking for and finding ways to develop not only their own business but also Ukraine’s reputation on the global stage,” emphasized Valeria Ionan, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine for European Integration.
In her opinion, the Digital Europe program will increase the number of opportunities for IT businesses, innovation spaces, and educational institutions, as well as allow them to study and implement European practices that will eventually become a new standard.
Necessary consultations
The Entrepreneurship and Export Development Office will become the national contact point for the Program. Potential applicants can get advice and information at the center.
“The national contact point will make it even easier to implement Ukrainian innovative projects. After all, our work is aimed at telling about current digital opportunities, facilitating access to Digital Europe competitions, and showing the steps to be taken to get funding to implement and scale an idea,” added Andriy Remizov, Director of the Office for Entrepreneurship and Export Development.
According to him, this will facilitate the implementation of digital transformation in our country, and help Ukrainian participants become more competitive and successfully integrate into the EU digital market.
Hub network
The Program will significantly expand the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs, which will help businesses test the necessary technologies and tools for their work and invest in the most effective ones. The hubs will be created on the basis of universities, clusters, research centers, etc.
“The GIZ project “Digitalization of SMEs in the Eastern Partnership countries” aims to contribute to the establishment and further capacity building of European digital innovation hubs in Ukraine,” said Vladyslav Kavelin, Senior Advisor of the GIZ project “Digitalization of SMEs in the Eastern Partnership countries”.
The event is part of the EU’s Digital Europe program, the strategic implementer of which in Ukraine is the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, and the Office for Entrepreneurship and Export Development is a practical consultant. The event is supported by GIZ (Digitalization of SMEs in the Eastern Partnership countries).
