DIGITAL CREATIVE INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT UKRAINIAN ENTREPRENEURS DURING THE WAR
15.02.2024 12:03
[2. Економічні науки]
Автор: Oksana Malynka, PhD., Associate Professor, Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical Oil and Gas University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, Administrative Assistant to the Executive Vice President, United American Marketing Corp. Oak Brook, Illinois, USA
E-Declaration: Previously, to start or continue a business, it was necessary to obtain hundreds of permits or licenses. It is even more difficult to do this during martial law. The territory of Ukraine is regularly shelled by Russian missiles. Air raid sirens are a real problem. During them, people must be in a vault.
To simplify the formalities, the Digital Ministry has launched E-declaration. This is a document replacing 374 permit documents that are necessary for the work of entrepreneurs.
For example, to open a pharmacy, it is necessary to go through a dozen offices, register a fire declaration, and wait 10 days for a license to get the right to run retail medicine [1].
With E-declaration, it is much easier to do this – in a few clicks, because E-declaration does not need to be reviewed by an official. You can start working immediately.
Consulting Business During the War: Any business, large or small, cannot be fully prepared for the economic consequences of a full-scale war. One of the priority tasks of Ukraine is to provide all possible support, from finance to consulting [3].
This is precisely what the page “Supporting business in conditions of war” on the Diya.Business portal is responsible for. The Digital Ministry of Ukraine has collected state and donor programs and private initiatives to support entrepreneurs. They will help preserve business, and jobs, and support the economy of Ukraine. Here you can find out how entrepreneurs can get money for employing internally displaced persons and how to move their business to a safer place with the help of the state. You can also get a loan during martial law under the “5-7-9%” program or be consulted on restarting your own business.
Grants to Support Micro- and Small Businesses: Micro- and small enterprises form the foundation of Ukraine’s economy. In times of war, they become very vulnerable, unlike the big network companies.
Therefore, together with the “EU4Business” program, the Ministry of Economy, and the Office for the Development of Entrepreneurship and Export, the Digital Ministry of Ukraine has launched a grant fund. It was developed to support 300 enterprises that were located in the war zone, have left and deployed in a safer place, or suffered but continue to work.
A special commission of independent business experts is already engaged in the selection of applications. The amount of the grant is 125,000 hryvnias (equivalent to approximately 4,000 euros).
Diya.Business in Ukraine and Warsaw: The Diya.Business network of offline support centers for entrepreneurs continues to function throughout Ukraine. Most Diya.Business centers currently function as humanitarian aid coordination centers.
Diya.Business centers in Ternopil and Uzhhorod (Western Ukraine) operate in the usual format, but additionally help enterprises with relocation, adaptation to new conditions, restart, and resumption of activities.
Russian occupiers damaged the brand-new Diya.Business center in Bucha, which was opened at the end of 2021. After the de-occupation of Bucha, its restoration started, and the center’s team continued to work online.
The Digital Ministry of Ukraine has also begun to expand abroad. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Poland has supported Ukraine in every possible way at all possible levels. Especially in providing shelters: for 3 million Ukrainians, Polish cities and towns have become temporary homes.
Among these people, many entrepreneurs want to continue working and supporting Ukraine. Therefore, the choice of location for the project to reach the international level was obvious.
The first Diya.Business center in Warsaw operates in a non-standard format. In addition to professional consultations for entrepreneurs, all Ukrainians who are in Poland today and need work, housing, or documents can contact the center.
Diya. Business Virtual Center: In wartime, getting help should be as quick and simple as possible. Therefore, in addition to Diya.Business offline centers, the Digital Ministry of Ukraine has launched an innovative hotline format.
Wherever you are, you can get help with finding a job, starting your own business, or temporarily moving your business abroad.
After the consultation, you will receive an individual road map with a list of useful materials, information about contact centers, and other recommendations.
While the project is working as a pilot, Ukrainians will be consulted by Diya.Business center’s specialists regarding living and working in Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, and Germany.
Requests for other EU countries will be prepared individually. Internally displaced persons in Ukraine can also receive consultations.
Export in Conditions of War: Ukrainian weapons today are Ukrainian products on the shelves of global supermarkets. Entering the international market and finding partners abroad is currently a new and urgent task for many Ukrainian companies. To facilitate it, the Office for the Development of Entrepreneurship and Export has launched a separate section “Export in conditions of war” on Diya.Business.
Here you can find relevant information for companies that are ready to supply their products abroad, as well as apply for inclusion of a company in the Catalogue of Ukrainian Exporters – an online service that foreign importers use as a base for finding partners in Ukraine.
Also, the English-language section “Buy Ukrainian products and services” has been launched in the Diya.Business Export Direction for the establishment of international partnerships. Here you can also find information about initiatives and projects to help Ukrainian businesses, data on import restrictions, and more.
Ukrainian business is adapting to the war faster than it has adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the number of new businesses registered in spring 2022 was 30% higher than at the beginning of the pandemic [2].
The economy throughout the country not only continues to work, but new enterprises are also emerging. Businesses are returning to work in the territories where this is possible.
References
1. Business during the war: three stories that inspire. https://rubryka.com/en/article/biznes-pid-chas-viiny/
2. Fedorov, M. (2022). Pidtrymka biznesu pid chas viiny — 5 rishen vid Mintsyfry. https://www.epravda.com.ua/columns/2022/06/10/688040/
3. Henzel, Y. (2023). Rozvytok pid chas viiny: 5 holovnykh problem ukrainskoho biznesu. https://mind.ua/openmind/20260808-rozvitok-pid-chas-vijni-5-golovnih-problem-ukrayinskogo-biznesu