On March 28th, Visionest Institute successfully wrapped up the program “Innovations for Internationalization: Building Dialogue Between Ukraine and Europe for SMEs”, implemented with the support of EU4Business. The program’s concluding online session served as a dynamic platform for summarizing the achievements from three preceding meetings and fostering collaboration among Ukrainian and European companies in addressing export challenges.
Key Focus Areas of the Final Session
The session featured insightful discussions aimed at tackling pressing issues and driving international business growth. Key topics included:
- Challenges facing Ukrainian SMEs, such as wartime risks and energy market instability
- Best practices from Estonian companies, showcasing strategies for overcoming barriers to internationalization
- Practical solutions for navigating licensing requirements, managing competition, and mitigating financial instability
- Exploring the future of Ukrainian business through open dialogue centered on innovation and opportunities
Tackling the Big Challenges
Participants delved deeply into sector-specific challenges to identify actionable solutions. These challenges included:
🌿 Environmental issues: reducing CO₂ emissions, recycling production waste, and transitioning to renewable energy sources
🏗 Export barriers: meeting EU licensing requirements, managing competition from global markets, and building brand trust
👥 Workforce challenges: overcoming the shortage of qualified personnel and promoting gender equality in leadership roles
💰 Financial hurdles: attracting investments, addressing currency fluctuations, and implementing innovative financing models
Insights from the Session
The final session provided valuable takeaways that underscore the resilience and innovation of Ukrainian businesses:
- Strength and resilience: Ukrainian entrepreneurs are ready to meet challenges head-on and discover new opportunities
- Learning from international experience: Insights from European companies offer practical resources for development
- Networking as a success driver: Establishing partnerships and exchanging knowledge is crucial for growth
- Internationalization as a transformative opportunity: Expanding into global markets enables businesses to scale and innovate
Participants’ Feedback
The program’s positive impact was reflected in feedback from participants:
✅ 86% found the session’s content highly relevant to their needs
✅ 57% are very likely to recommend the program to others
✅ 43% intend to apply the knowledge gained in their operations shortly
Moving Forward
Visionest Institute is proud to have played a pivotal role in facilitating this program and is committed to fostering collaboration that drives sustainable business growth. We extend our gratitude to GIZ Ukraine for making this initiative possible and to the dedicated participants whose engagement and ideas shaped the success of the program.
🌟 Together, we are creating impactful business solutions and paving the way for a thriving international future!
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The project “Innovations for Internationalization: Strengthening Ukraine-Europe Dialogue for SMEs” is developed by the Visionest Institute within the international cooperation programme “EU4Business: SME Recovery, Competitiveness and Internationalisation” which is co-financed by the European Union and the German Government and is implemented by the German federal company “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH” GIZ Ukraine. The programme aims to support Ukraine’s economic resilience, recovery and growth, create better conditions for the development of Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as support innovation and exports.
EU4Business is an umbrella initiative that includes all EU support to small and medium-sized businesses in the Eastern Partnership countries. Read more: www.eu4business.org.ua
The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of Visionest Institute and does not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union, the German Government, or GIZ.