In spite of the war, Greencubator, a Ukrainian non-profit for sustainable entrepreneurship, and the EBRD, have restarted their Climate Innovation Vouchers program. It targets innovative SMBs develop or implement technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency and prevent climate change.
“The brave actions of the Ukrainian army make it possible to restart activities within the project,” Kateryna Zalievska, Head of Green Communication at Greencubator, told Ukraine Digital News.
“Besides, we understand that green SMBs now need even more support than before the war. That’s why we decided to [extend the application deadline to] the end of May and support the winner as soon as possible with grant funding.”
The current phase, launched in 2021, was opened to both Ukrainian and Belarusian startups; “but we had to refuse to continue the grant program in Belarus after the full-scale war and the participation of Belarus in this aggression,” said Zalievska.
The program — a component of the EBRD’s FINTECC initiative — is supported by the EU under the EU4CLIMATE initiative. Ukraine was the first country to benefit from these vouchers when the program started back in 2017. Six phases of the program were completed during these five years.
So far, 32 Ukrainian companies developing or implementing climate-friendly innovations have received vouchers for almost €1.24 million. Among the most successful vouchers, Zalievska cited:
- Autoenterprise and Toka, which operate mobility solutions;
- BIOsens, the creator of a portable food safety lab to detect mycotoxins in crops;
- Enzymel, Ukraine’s leading yeast producer, which his behind the energy-generating solar blinds SolarGaps;
- Delfast, a manufacturer of electric bikes;
- Go To-U, which has developed an electric vehicle charging station management platform;
- PRANA, a producer of energy-saving recuperators;
- Prengi, a platform for managing real estate maintenance processes;
- The Good Plastic Company, which makes recycled plastic dimensional panels;
Online magazine Ukraïner, recently published 10 of the most noticeable stories from this program. Click here to read them.
The program is accessible to companies registered as private companies in Ukraine at least one year before the application date. They may apply for a grant until May 31, 2022. (application link)
