One of the most pressing tasks facing postwar Ukraine is the radical reconstruction of its economy geared to digitalize the innovative transformation, promote high-tech development.
For the first time, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the Program of Ukraine’s Innovative Transformation at the Conference of Donors in Warsaw on May 5, 2022. The follow-up on this program took place in Lugano (Switzerland) in July 2022, Berlin (Germany) in September 2022, and Lublin (Poland) this year.
Technical universities of Ukraine have launched the Platform of Ukraine’s Innovative Transformation as the aggregator of projects in the area of high-tech development within the academic component of the above program.
Twenty-five universities, where Sikorsky Challenge startup schools were established, have joined the Platform. Most rectors of these universities are members of the Association of Rectors of Higher Technical Educational Institutions of Ukraine.
On December 1, 2022 Mykhailo Zgurovsky, Rector of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI), and Teofil Jesinowski, Rector of the Poznan University of Technology (PUT), initialed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Conference of Rectors of Polish Technical Universities and the Association of Rectors of Higher Technical Educational Institutions of Ukraine about the creation of a university cluster in the area of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital security. Further to the MoU, KPI proposes to start the implementation of the Memorandum on Support and Development of the Platform of Ukraine’s Innovative Transformation and take the following steps within next six months:
1. Open the call and hold the competition of innovative developments and startup projects in the area of AI and cyber security in May-June 2023:
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- in Ukraine, with the participation of KPI and the universities that have joined the ecosystem
- in Poland, with the participation of PUT and other Polish universities.
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2. Determine winners of these competitions and organize a joint event, namely Pitchday (probably in Poznan), inviting investors, stakeholders and venture funds.
3. Effectuate the joint acceleration (elaboration) of the projects selected by investors/funds.
4. Participate in arranging the signing of investment agreements or contracts for the selected innovative developments.