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Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) drive innovation, create jobs, and provide the flexibility that allows Ukraine’s IT sector to find growth opportunities even in challenging conditions.
As part of WINWIN Summit: The Power of Innovations, a roundtable discussion was held in collaboration with the Office for Entrepreneurship and Export Development and the national project Diia.Business on the topic: “The Path to Innovation through Digitalisation: The Role of Government and Donor Support for SMEs in Building an Innovative Ecosystem”. This event brought together representatives from the government, business, financial institutions, and international technical assistance projects.
Three key areas were discussed:
The level of digitalisation of SMEs and the availability of technology;
The effectiveness of existing support programmes;
Prospects for supporting SMEs in building an innovative ecosystem.
During the discussion, Martins Krievins, Senior Policy Advisor and Programme Manager of OECD SIGMA in Ukraine, highlighted the importance of government policy in creating a favourable development environment. OECD research shows a direct correlation between the quality of institutions and the level of economic development—strong institutions foster sustainable economic growth.
Examples of existing tools for SMEs created in collaboration with the government include:
Marketplace of Digital Solutions – a joint project by IT Ukraine and Diia.Business, a Ukrainian “App Store” for SMEs that helps them quickly select trusted digital tools.
“Brave. The Digital Evolution of Business” – support for women entrepreneurs in implementing technologies and strengthening their businesses.
Diia.Business Portal – a platform where entrepreneurs can find all the necessary information for starting and growing a business in one place. The range of available services includes guides, analytics, expert consultations, and opportunities for expanding into foreign markets.
As a result of the event, stakeholders synchronised their actions and plans for digitalisation and SME support, outlined effective tools and solutions, and shared their vision for next steps. This allowed for the formation of a shared understanding of priorities, enhanced coordination, and laid the foundation for developing long-term partnerships in the creation and implementation of systemic support programmes for small and medium-sized businesses.
