The international humanitarian organization Mercy Corps together with West Ukraine Digital implements a program for financial support of small and medium-sized businesses that have already relocated or are in the process of relocation due to the war

Priority is given to those businesses that have already relocated or are in the process of relocation to Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Ternopil Oblasts and need funds to restore or expand their activities in a new location. The program will help businesses to adapt to changing conditions and create or maintain jobs for the population affected by the war and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The average amount of financial support is USD 20,000 in UAH equivalent at the current rate of the National Bank of Ukraine, which is provided for the purchase of fixed assets. The program participant must perform the full calculation, accounting, and payment of all taxes in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine.
Terms of participation in the program:- official registration and absence of juridical and legal obstacles for entrepreneurial activity in accordance with the requirements of Ukrainian legislation;- creation or sustaining of at least three jobs for IDPs or the conflict-affected population;- investment of own funds in the restoration or expansion of business activities in the amount of up to 50% of the amount of financial support.
Program participants will be selected on a competitive basis according to the following criteria:- clear reasoning for the need to receive financial support;- compliance of the business idea with the conditions and goals of the program;- feasibility and viability of the business idea, which involves an increase in profit as a result of its implementation;- realistic business plan and clear understanding of its implementation;- experience of running a business;- absence of comments on the participant's business reputation.
Please note that applying for this program is only possible after mandatory registration on main page.
The implementation of the project is carried out by the non-governmental organization "West Ukraine Digital".
The program to support the economic stability of Ukraine is implemented with the financial support of Switzerland, provided through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Web accessibility & government online resources

The non-governmental organization "West Ukraine Digital" acted as a co-organizer of an educational training on web accessibility for more than 120 public employees, which took place on June 29-30 in Lviv and which was organized in partnership with the Lviv Regional Military Administration with the financial support of Japan within the framework of the "Action Support Project". that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine implements with funding from Sweden.Public servants from the regional, city and district councils of the Lviv region, as well as representatives of various levels of authorities from the Volyn, Ternopil, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions took part in the training. During two days, they were taught how to write texts and create videos, publications and websites in such a way that they are accessible to all people, including those who cannot see and use special assistive technologies on the Internet - screen readers.Web accessibility is one of the key areas that UNDP in Ukraine is working on together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. Thanks to joint efforts with Sweden, in recent years the country has fundamentally changed the legislation regulating the web accessibility of state websites. Thus, on June 15, 2022, a new state web accessibility standard based on the progressive European standard EN 301 549 entered into legal force in Ukraine. After the adoption of the Resolution developed by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, all executive authorities will be required to comply with its requirements. And in order to make it easier for domestic developers to implement them, the Ministry of Digitization and UNDP in Ukraine initiated the first official translation into Ukrainian of the WCAG international web accessibility guidelines, which formed the basis of the new state standard.The training covered aspects of alternative text, structure and semantics, visual accessibility, color and visual arrangement of elements, text comprehensibility, subtitles and transcription, structure and navigation, visual and user designs, interactive elements, resource testing, technical tasks for ensuring web accessibility of state online -resources.This event facilitated the opportunity to train government officials in skills that will help them further reduce barriers to accessibility of government online resources and create publications in such a way that they can be used by all people, including those with visual impairments.
The project "Digital, inclusive, accessible: support for digitalization of public services in Ukraine" (Action Support Project) is implemented by the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Transformation with the support of Sweden. The project is aimed at overcoming the digital divide between generations and different social groups. The main goal is to increase the availability of new digital solutions so that every man and woman in the country can use electronic services and no one is left out.

Sharing experience as it is

During the panel discussion: presentation of the project "Business development of the Northern Ternopil region", the head of the project office, Ksenia Kachurivska, spoke about the opportunities for entrepreneurs, implemented programs and the main achievements of the Diya.Business support center for entrepreneurs in Ternopil and West Ukraine Digital. Sharing experiences is extremely important right now, as it allows you to learn something new.

As part of the cooperation between the Lanovec City Council and the USAID DOBRE Program, a co-working space for community entrepreneurs was opened today. We congratulate Lanovechchyna on the opening, we are proud of you and wish you success!

Thank you all for participating in the BraveTe Business Forum!

On May 5, the BraveTe Business Forum was held at the Diya.Business Entrepreneur Support Center in Ternopil. The state and prospects of small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine were discussed during the panel discussion "Business Today: Relocation, Challenges and Development Prospects"The moderator is Kseniya Kachurivska, head of the Diya.Business support center for entrepreneurs in Ternopil and the West Ukraine Digital project office● Valeriy Reshetnyak – CEO of robota.ua● Tatyana Sytnyk – research company CBR, partner, head of B2B and strategic research. Until 2020, she worked at the research company GfK● Olena Tverdovska – director of Nova Global's customer support department● Taras Fityo – Co-owner of TOM company● Taras Kutko – CEO of DELTA FOOD companyDuring the open lecture, the following spoke about attracting grant funds to business:● Khrystyna Savulyak – member of the board of the Business People's Club of Ukraine, marketing director, head of SME development programs and projects
The event is implemented within the framework of the International Organization for Migration (IOM Ukraine) project "Development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): economic integration of internally displaced persons and business recovery", financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the German Development Bank ( KfW). The forum is organized in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The initiator of the event is the NGO West Ukraine Digital, with the support of the Ternopil Regional Military Administration and the Ternopil City Council
We support the economy of Ukraine together!

We learn to submit successful grants

We talked about the possibilities of grant financing for the development of small and medium-sized businesses, the philosophy of donors and how to correctly apply for a grant in order to win it.
Speaker: Iryna Motrin - grant expert, business marketer, owner of the GO marketing agency and the ESKIZ event agency, over 38 million hryvnias were won by the business over 22-23 years
We thank the speaker and all participants for their participation! Till next time!

The educational event took place within the framework of the "Financier" program, which is implemented as part of a tripartite partnership of Diya.Business centers, UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group and Mastercard, aimed at the development and support of domestic entrepreneurs.

The "Face of Business in the Community" project was launched

On April 20, a press conference was held on the occasion of the launch of the "Face of Business in the Community" project, where entrepreneurs were told about the opportunities that can be obtained thanks to this project in the Ternopil community, both from the city council and from the Diya.Business Entrepreneur Support Center in Ternopil. In particular, the following measures of the project are foreseen:
● assessment of the state of the SME sector;● assessment of the export potential of the community's SME sector;● review of business processes in the community;● improvement of communication policy;● providing consultations for active entrepreneurs and those who want to start their own business;● training for active entrepreneurs, for those who want to start their own business and IDPs;● production of educational online courses.
The project is implemented with the aim of creating better conditions for the development of entrepreneurship in the Ternopil community, forming an innovative business culture and acquiring communication skills.
The press conference was attended by: Ihor Krysovaty, deputy mayor for the activities of the council's executive bodies, Tetyana Anishchuk, deputy head of the "EU4Business: recovery, competitiveness and internationalization of SMEs" program, Valeriy Maiboroda, deputy head of the Entrepreneurship Development Fund, head of the Department of Economy, Industry and of Ternopil city council - Tetyana Korchak, head of NGO "West Ukraine Digital" - Oksana Kachurivska. And also more than 40 entrepreneurs, mass media and all other interested persons.
The event was organized by the NGO "WEST UKRAINE DIGITAL", within the framework of the grant competition for systemic support of small and medium-sized enterprises commissioned by the international cooperation program "EU4Business: recovery, competitiveness and internationalization of SMEs", which is jointly financed by the European Union and the German government. The grant competition is carried out by the Entrepreneurship Development Fund, the strategic executor of the program is the German federal company Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The program is aimed at supporting economic stability, recovery and growth of Ukraine, creating better conditions for the development of Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as supporting innovation and exports.

Investment is always on time!

Recently in Diya. Business in Ternopil held an open lecture with Maksym Kotsko, where they discussed the topic of investing in stock markets and how to finally start investing.
We thank the speaker and all participants of the open lecture!
The educational event took place within the framework of the Financier program, which is implemented as part of a tripartite partnership of Diya.Biznes centers, Ukrsibbank BNP Paribas Group and Mastercard, aimed at the development and support of domestic entrepreneurs.

UPgrade creative meetup of creative industries

On February 10, 2023, the UPgrade creative meeting of creative industries was held in TernopilAn event that united creative people, business representatives and simply interested people around the topic of developing creative thinking.What happened at the event?● 5 presentations by experts on the development of creative thinking● exhibition of works of relocated and local representatives of creative industries● more than 100 inspired participants of the event in the halland more than 500 participants online
We express our gratitude to the speakers who took part in the event:
● Andrey Gonkovskiy – entrepreneur, founder of the G-tag online education center, launched more than 156 products over 5 years of activity, influencer.● ️Hrystyna Boiko – communications consultant, co-owner of the creative agency and action Curator of the "Content Making" course at the Ukrainian Catholic University UCuniversity● Yaroslava Kravchenko - presenter, director of the Wild Theater, curator of the "All by 10" fund● Taras Kovalchuk – Metaverse strategist and consultant at Pushka.School. Digital Fashion Strategist at La Muse and P.Delayer. Editor and host of broadcasts at Futurezine. B2B communications partner at New Digital Fashion Magazine● Maria Yurchak – candidate of historical sciences, teacher of IT STEP Academy, Ternopil, entrepreneur, co-founder of Na poshti. Creative cluster
We thank the participants for the inspiring atmosphere and understanding, for being with us until the end, for the excellent feedback and support for our activities.
See you again at the Diya.Business center in Ternopil!
The project activities of the Diya.Business Center in Ternopil are carried out with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

"Do what you do best. Where you can now"

During 2022, we organized and held 140 events, which gathered as many as 3,544 participants
Among the largest and most successful:
● Economic forum for representatives of small, medium and relocated businesses BraveTe Business Forum: about 170 participants, 11 speakers, 2 panel discussions
● Tripartite partnership Diya.Business, Ukrsibbank BNP Paribas Group and Mastercard:
Partnership presentations: about 100 participants
Financial literacy course for schoolchildren - Financier: junior club: 20 participants
● Presentation jointly with the Export Credit Agency - EKA of new products: more than 50 participants
● Brave Business Forum: more than 100 participants, 12 speakers, 2 panel discussions
● Digital Regions Week in Ternopil with the support of the project "Digital, inclusive, accessible: support for digitalization of public services in Ukraine" (Action Support Project), implemented by UNDP Ukraine / UNDP in Ukraine in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine with the financial support of the Swedish Embassy of Sweden in Kyiv: over 250 participants, 6 regions, 25 speakers, 4 panel discussions
● Opening of the photo exhibition "Invincible" and a creative meeting with photographers Konstantin and Vlada Liberov Liberov Photographer: about 100 participants
● An express course on grants for business was held twice, where about 600 entrepreneurs took part
● On the basis of Diya.Business centers in Ternopil and Uzhgorod, a business course "Strategy for business growth in conditions of uncertainty" was held
● 23 business breakfasts were held - a space to exchange experience, ideas, know-how and developments, as well as an opportunity to find business partners, meet experts and expand the circle of communication based on interests

The main results:
●  Implemented an initiative within the framework of the EU4Business program: competitiveness and internationalization of SMEs, which is jointly financed by the European Union and the German government and implemented by the German federal company Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, aimed at helping businesses relocate to the western regions of Ukraine
●  About 100 events aimed at helping local and relocated entrepreneurs with adaptation, restoration and continuation of business activities have been organized
● Implemented the initiative within the program "Application and implementation of the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine in the field of trade", financed by the German government and implemented by the German federal company DeutscheGesellschaftfürInternationaleZusammenarbeit(GIZ) GmbH
● As part of the project, 3 business development programs for entrepreneurs were implemented in the areas of export, women's entrepreneurship, and business grants.

With the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on the basis of the Diya.Business centers in Ternopil and Diya.Business in Uzhgorod, support is provided in the development of an inclusive business community in the Ternopil and Transcarpathian regions through constant advisory and educational support for displaced SMEs and IDPs on development issues business with a special emphasis on directions of the creative sector. Support is also provided in the direction of social and economic integration of internally displaced persons.
- Within the framework of the project, 26 educational events on the development of entrepreneurial activity have already been held
- Training sessions on the directions of the creative sector were held for 50 representatives of local and relocated youth.
- The "Residence" co-working space for representatives of the creative sector was created in Ternopil
- 10 jobs were provided to representatives of IDPs from the field of creative industries.

We are proud that despite all the difficulties, Diya. Business in Ternopil continued to develop our joint business with even greater zeal, to work on the development of entrepreneurship in Ukraine and to achieve new successes.

The war changed the structure of our life, but it did not change the mission of Diya.Business: "To make Ukraine a country of entrepreneurs." Therefore, we continue to work, launch projects and educational events, advise and help Ukrainian businesses to maintain a strong economic background and, at the same time, build a new, strong and effective Ukraine!

The other day there was an event during which they talked about how to develop business through grants.
Small and medium-sized businesses are going through difficult times, but they continue to work. In today's realities, to continue working = to support the economy = to help the country.
UKRSIBBANK and Mastercard have launched an initiative to support individual entrepreneurs, within the framework of which monetary incentives for businesses in the amount of 1,500,000 hryvnias are being raffled off.
The educational event took place within the framework of the "Financier" program, which is implemented as part of a tripartite partnership of Diya.Biznes centers, Ukrsibbank BNP Paribas Group and Mastercard, aimed at the development and support of domestic entrepreneurs.

Learn more about how to get incentives for business: https://ukrsibbank.com/lpage/granti-dlya-pidtrimki-biznesu/

Opening of the photo exhibition "Unconquered" in Ternopil by Odessa photographers Konstantin and Vlada Liberovyh

Invincibility is our choice!On Sunday, December 11, 2022, the opening of the photo exhibition "The Unscathed" in Ternopil by Odessa photographers Konstantin and Vlada Liberovy took place:"Our global goal is that no one forgets about the war in Ukraine. Yes, we may not have such exclusives as the big news agencies, but there is a lot of sincerity in our work. The main thing we have achieved today is the trust of the military. The boys are no longer afraid to let us go where they are and show us their daily lives. They know that this information will remain confidential and the photos will become part of their family archives and not in the public domain.Our only request is to talk about the war, don't forget the military and the people who suffered. And we are happy, because together we continue to do what we love, albeit in a new way."The authors of the photos, Kostyantyn Liberov and Vlada Liberova, are Ukrainian photographers who have been documenting war crimes since the beginning of the war, and share with us photos from the epicenter of the war in real time. Their photos are repeatedly published in social networks and printed publications in Ukrainian and international mass media.The main idea of the photo exhibition is to continue to maintain public attention to the war and to speak loudly about the consequences of military actions, through documentary photography, for reflection and rethinking
The "Undefeated" photo exhibition was organized by the Diya.Business Entrepreneur Support Center in Ternopil in partnership with the NGO Creative Hub "Osadchi" with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Being an entrepreneur means having courage, self-confidence, and not being afraid of change.Congratulations to all graduates of the business course "Strategy for business growth in conditions of uncertainty".We wish you all even greater courage in the development of your businesses!The business course took place from October 19 to November 9, 2022 and consisted of 10 modules.
Get more knowledge with Diya.Business!
The project activities of the Diya.Business Center in Ternopil are carried out with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Digital Regions Week regional digital transformation forum took place in Ternopil

On November 4, 2022, a regional digital transformation forum was held in Ternopil as part of the Digital Regions Week Ukrainian regional digital transformation week.

The forum was attended by representatives of small and medium-sized businesses, owners of technology companies, representatives of authorities and local self-government bodies, as well as everyone interested in digital transformation.

"Digital transformation of regions is one of the priority areas of work of the Ministry of Digital Affairs. That is why we have been working for a long time to ensure that every region has CDTOs or digital leaders who will help speed up changes in the field of digitization in every corner of Ukraine. In the conditions of war, it is especially necessary to ensure the functioning of the infrastructure, uninterrupted access to education and training, the provision of medical services, the improvement of cyber security and the support of the economic front of the country in general. Does your community need digitization? I hope that the Digital Regions Week regional forums will guide you in this direction. Let's digitize together!", said Valeriya Ionan, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for European Integration.

Volodymyr Brusilovskyi, head of the "Action Support Project", emphasized that along with the digitization of public services, it is important not to forget about ensuring their accessibility - so that all citizens can use the new tools created in the state.

"Digitalization of public administration helps to increase the transparency, efficiency and quality of the provision of public services for citizens. That is why the UN Development Program in Ukraine, with the support of Sweden, strives to continue supporting the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine in the development of new electronic services, taking care of their accessibility, so that all Ukrainians can use the assets of digital transformation," he said.
The forum was held with the participation of CDTO and representatives of the Ternopil, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi and Rivne regional military administrations.
During the forum, key issues were discussed regarding the achievement of communities on the way to digitalization, support and development of digital projects in communities and cities, digital accessibility and globalization.

Serhii Nadal, Mayor of Ternopil:
"Digitalization is one of the strategic tasks, and even more so in the conditions of war. Developed regions in the field of digitization are important for progressive movement in sectoral directions - economy, infrastructure, education and medicine, transport, tourism and security, and are also a guarantee of the stability of the economy and the development of the country as a whole. In Ternopil, we pay special attention to the electronic participation of citizens, and now it is important that everyone can participate in such opportunities without exception."

The forum became a platform for interaction where national and regional leaders were able to meet and discuss new ideas in the field of digital development of Ukraine.

Mykhailo GAPULA, Deputy Chief of the Ternopil Regional Military Administration for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitalization (CDTO):
"Today's event is a new opportunity to expand the horizons of cooperation in the western region and take the vector for the development of the economy and digitalization in the conditions of relocation of Ukrainian business and development of communities."

As part of the forum, a memorandum of cooperation between West Ukraine Digital and the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne regional military administrations was signed. As well as presentations of the new Smart Region project offered by West Ukraine Digital in collaboration with partners and a data center in Ternopil.

Oksana Kachurivska, head of the West Ukraine Digital project office, head of the Diya.Business support center for entrepreneurs:
"Smart Region will be a logical step in the development of electronic services in every city. This is the integration of the city portal into a multifunctional application, which combines a means of payment and a citizen's portal for interacting with the authorities, receiving city services, services and active participation in the life of the city."

Even simple solutions can significantly improve the life of a community. The implementation of e-tools does not always require significant funds, sometimes it is enough to start with the scaling of already available digital services.

Organizer of the event: West Ukraine Digital project office together with Diya.Business Entrepreneur Support Center in Ternopil.
The forum is organized with the support of the project "Digital, inclusive, accessible: support for digitalization of public services in Ukraine" (Action Support Project), which is implemented by UNDP in Ukraine in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Transformation with the financial support of Sweden.

A Brave forum for entrepreneurs was held in Ternopil: relocation and activities during the war were discussed

On November 3, 2022, the Brave Business Forum was held in the Avalon Palace hotel and restaurant complex in Ternopil, which was attended by business representatives from the western and central regions of Ukraine.

During the forum, business owners discussed the problems of business in the conditions of war. The program of the forum consisted of two thematic blocks devoted to communication regarding the relocation of business to the western regions and the presentation of research results by representatives of analytical institutions.

Speakers working in various industries shared their experiences and ideas on how to run your own business during the war.

During the forum, Andriy Remizov, director of the State Enterprise Development and Export Office, noted that the western regions have taken the initiative from the eastern and central parts of Ukraine in terms of business development and relocation. In terms of relocation, rates of business registration and the share of working enterprises, the leaders are now Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Zakarpattia oblasts

"Everyone asked themselves the right question: what kind of Ukraine do we want to start building after our Victory over the aggressor? What should we do with the economy in wartime? Since the future competitive Ukraine must organically fit into the future world, creating it, it is necessary to understand today's main trends in its development," said Stepan Kuybida, Director of the Department of Economic Policy of the Lviv Regional Military Administration

Today, Ukrainian business holds the economy of our country on its shoulders. The best services, the highest quality products, the fastest service - all this is about our brave entrepreneurs.

"How to adapt to a large number of people and new businesses, what conditions can the region create so that this number increases? For this purpose, we organized such an event. Every crisis is also a time for change, transformation and growth. Real change, to adapt your business to new economic realities to become better, more efficient, more competitive and more sustainable, requires real courage. After all, it is the courage of Ukrainian entrepreneurs that helps to hold the economic front," said Oksana Kachurivska, head of the Entrepreneur Support Center Diya.Business in Ternopil, head of the West Ukraine Digital project office.

Such events are important because they allow you to get concentrated knowledge, a quality environment for communication with the best experts. It is clear that the economy is in a difficult state, there are many challenges. If we do not concentrate on creating competitiveness, even when everything is over and the country will be better, it will not be done in one day.

Volodymyr Glaschenkov, chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Molokiya company, noted:
"We lived 30 years of independence in the paradigm of local people, active elites and lack of openness to people who came from other regions. Now we very quickly need to change the paradigm, get used to the fact that other people, but with faith in Ukraine, are ours. This is a challenge. And together with them, with displaced people, we can do more than without them."

The initiator of the event is the West Ukraine Digital project office together with the Diya.Business Entrepreneur Support Center in Ternopil.
Molokiya, Visa and PrivatBank became partners of the event.
The event was held with the support of the Ternopil Regional Military Administration and the Ternopil City Council.

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