The European Union (EU) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are extending new grants to help innovative Ukrainian firms seeking to improve climate resilience with new approaches.
Six Ukraine-based companies received climate innovation vouchers during an award ceremony. The prize covers 75 per cent of the eligible costs (up to €50,000) of pioneering solutions and technologies implemented by the private companies to address climate change. The ceremony took place in the presence of Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Roman Abramovskyi, and EBRD Deputy Head of Ukraine Iryna Kravchenko.
“Business innovation and cleantech are key to deliver the EU Green Deal. Climate change mitigation and eco-innovations are at the heart of our policies, including when it comes to working with our partners. It is extremely encouraging to witness how innovators from Ukraine, one of our closest partner countries, contribute to these efforts. The EU is happy to help them”, said Commissioner Sinkevičius.
Innovations that were rewarded include agricultural drones, sustainable housing complexes, recycled plastic panels for interiors and more. To date, EU and EBRD have provided €1 million in climate innovation vouchers in Ukraine
Irina Kravchenko, EBRD Deputy Director for Ukraine, said: “I am very much impressed by the commitment of today’s winners to tackle the climate emergency through clean technologies. Investing in innovation will accelerate the development of high-impact breakthrough clean technologies, and the EBRD is delighted to support new successful Ukrainian businesses with our climate innovation voucher programme.”
The winners include the producer of recycled plastic the Good Plastic Company, the architecture studio Ekodar, the yeast producer Enzym, the engineering firm Dominion, the water and rainwater management company Viva Victoria and the Laboratory of Advanced Jet Propulsion, a workshop focused on rocket-space-technologies.
The Good Plastic Company is expanding the production of high quality, recycled and recyclable plastic panels for interiors, furniture, and other applications while lowering its environmental footprint.
Ekodar Architecture Studio is pioneering digital twin technology to scale their energy-efficient and environmentally friendly building projects globally.
Enzym, Ukraine’s leading yeast producer, is increasing the efficiency of its biogas reactor and reducing wastewater pollution in the yeast production process.
Dominion has designed an innovative trailer-based mobile plant, which produces large-diameter polymer pipes at construction sites to eliminate the emissions-intensive transportation of pipes from production facilities to construction sites.
Viva Victoria is developing climate control systems for greenhouses that integrate management of ventilation, heating, watering, dimming, lighting, and fertilisation and allow remote access.
The Laboratory of Advanced Jet Propulsion is completing the development of a full-sized drone for the aerial application of pesticides or fertilizers, intended to replace obsolete agricultural An-2 aircrafts.
“The Ukrainian government does not stand aside from climate challenges and actively supports innovation and green transformation of the Ukrainian economy. I hope that in the coming years, all our investments will be exclusively green. I am sure that it will be impossible to attract investments in businesses that are not transformed following climate goals” – highlighted Minister Roman Abramobskyi.
