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U.S. Applauds and Supports Innovation in Ukraine
In October, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power met with a group of Ukrainian businesspeople in Lviv at the innovation hub known as the IT Cluster, which is supported by the Government of Ukraine and by USAID.
“What is really exciting about what we see in the Lviv IT Cluster is the diversification of Ukraine’s economy,” said Administrator Power. “And seeing the steady growth of IT services as exports in this country, gives us, I think, an indication of where the future can take Ukraine.”
Administrator Power pointed to the innovation and success of Knopka, a member of Ukraine’s IT Cluster, whose medical alert system has revolutionized the field because of its ability to function in a power outage. The company is now in talks with hospitals and clinics in the United States and Canada.
Despite being two and a half years into Putin’s brutal invasion, “Ukraine’s business leaders in the tech sector and beyond it are harnessing their creativity and their resilience to lead the country into the future, and at USAID we have been privileged to do what we can to support that,” said Administrator Power.
The United States, she observed, has directly deployed more than $260 million to support businesses in Ukraine, “from relocating and restoring the operations of companies on the front lines, to running reskilling programs to train Ukrainians in high demand trades like construction and transportation, to increasing access for businesses and for startups to affordable financing. This support has itself unlocked $232 million in new investments to Ukrainian companies.”
At the same time, said Administrator Power, “We are working closely with our partners in the Ukrainian government to improve transparency, to reduce opportunities for self-dealing, and to make the judiciary more independent. … These are critical steps to building confidence that contracts will be honored, and investment regulations will be enforced.”
The agricultural, manufacturing, and defense sectors have also seen a surge in innovation and ingenuity since Russia’s invasion. “I marvel at imagining what this country and the Ukrainian people can do in peacetime,” declared Administrator Power.
“Businesses, like the ones I met with today, are working to build a future where the ingenuity of the Ukrainian people drives progress. ... not only here in Ukraine, but in places all around the world that will continue to benefit from the products, services and ideas developed here.”