“The creation of knowledge economy must serve as a basis for this country's development.” - Bohdan Danylyshyn, Minister of Economy, Ukraine, January 15, 2008
Ukraine’s economy has substantial natural comparative advantages. Yet today's Ukraine is not maximizing its competitive edge in the global economy. In order to enhance its competitiveness vis-à-vis its emerging market competitors, Ukraine strives to broaden its export structure and increase its labor productivity to support long-term economic growth. However, sustainable increases in productivity needed for economic growth require “technological progress”, defined broadly as the adoption and creation of knowledge relevant for production, which is typically embodied in enhanced machinery and more efficient processes. Most modern successful knowledge-based economies are typically those that have higher productivity due to high adoption rates of existing technology and the generation of new technologies by domestic firms and research institutions, facilitated among others by a skilled labor force and a strong science base.
The World Bank Group is conducting a variety of activities to strengthen leading public sector institutions and the private sector that form the national innovation system to support Ukraine’s transition to becoming increasingly competitive and knowledge-intensive. One of the activities being organized by the World Bank is the 2008 Competitiveness and Knowledge Economy Training Initiative and is being co-hosted in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Education and Science.
Agenda
Tuesday, April 22
10:00–12:30
Lyudmila Oleksandrivna Musina, Head of Advisor’s Department, Ministry of Economy, Trends in Innovation Financing in Ukraine in International Comparison
Tatyana Kostyantynivna Kvasha, Head of Analytical Forecasting Department, Ukrainian Institute for Scientific, Technical and Economic Information, On financing of scientific and innovation activities and the problem of correlation with European Statistics.
Sergiy Vasyliovych Margaschuk, Deputy Head, The State Agency of Ukraine for Investments and Innovations, Participation of the Country in financing support of the projects investment and innovation and innovative programs.
Victor Stepanovych Shovkaluk, Head of Innovative and Transferring Technologies Department, Ministry of Education & Science, Instruments in Innovation Financing in Ukraine.
Peter Lindholm, Senior Expert, Lindholm-Consult, International Cases Studies in Public Support for Commercial Innovation.
Jacek Blonski, Leviathan, Business Angels Network, Case Study on Poland – VC from Warsaw
Ivan Bortnik, Founder, Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises, Fund of Funds (FOF)
Jaroslav Demchenkov, Chief, Investment and Innovation Development Projects Implementation Division, Administration of the President of Ukraine, On Commercialization of Science and Challenges of Public Private Partnerships for Innovation.
Early-Stage Financing, Matching Grants, Loans, Tax Credits, Other Instruments
Venture Capital: A Missing Link for the Knowledge Economy Moderator: Natasha Kapil, Innovation Specialist, World Bank
12:30 – 13:30
Lunch
13:30 - 15:00
Public Financial Support for Innovation Infrastructure
Oleksandr Anatoliovych Mazur, Director, Paton Technopark, On Status of Technoparks in Ukraine
Inna Borysovna Gagauz, Director, Kharkov business incubator, On Business-Incubator development in Ukraine
Nikolay Aleksandrovich Paal, Director, UBICA, On Incubators in Ukraine
Peter Lindholm, Senior Expert, Lindholm-Consult, International Case Study of Sophia Antypolis
Mr. Bagrat Yengibaryan, Enterprise Incubator Foundation, Armenia
Stefan Holger Schandera, ECAbit, Eastern Europe’s Experience in Incubation Networking
Key Issues:
Reform of R&D institutions for better financing & infrastructure
Modern Entry Institutions: Technology Parks, Incubators, SEZs Moderators: Natasha Kapil, Innovation Specialist, World Bank and Florentin Blanc, Operations Officer, IFC
15:00 - 15:30
Coffee Break
15:30 - 16:30
Breakout Policy Exercise
Background: Law on Innovation, Law on Technoparks, Law on Special Economic Zones
Devising financing instruments to promote R&D for innovation in firms, and commercial R&D in RDIs
Devising instruments to promote technology absorption in firms
16:30 – 17:30
Closing Session
Presentation by Participant Teams on findings of the Financing and Infrastructure Exercises
Break-Out Group Moderators: Natasha Kapil,Florentin Blanc, World Bank Group
Speakers Bios
Bagrat Yengibaryan Director, Armenia Enterprise Incubator Foundation
MBA from American University of Armenia, Department of Business Administration, in 1997 and Ph.D. in Mathematics, Armenian National Academy of Sciences, 1997. He is the Director of the Enterprise Incubator Foundation since 2002 managing and coordinating the EIF activities on business development, marketing and promotion, management, accounting and finance, start-up creation, helping companies to improve professional and business skills, creation of learning partnerships within the industry and the universities. In 1998-2002 worked as the Executive Director of Foreign Financing Projects Management Center (FFPMC) of Ministry of Finance and Economy of Armenia and administered implementation of numerous donor programs, including World Bank’s Enterprise Development Project, Private Sector Development Project; Structural Adjustment Technical Assistance Projects, and Lincy Foundation’s SME Development Program and other projects totaling 100 million dollars.
In 1995 – 1998 he worked as Chief Program Officer at Foreign Aid Coordination Center (FACC), Ministry of Economy of Armenia. In 1994 – 1995 was the Third Secretary of Armenian National Commission for UNESCO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. Currently he is the Chairman of “Investment and Business Opportunities” working group under the IT Development Support Council established by the Armenian Government, Board member of the first Armenian venture capital foundation “Venture Management Advisors”, Chairman of the Board of “IT Center” Science and Education Foundation, Chairman of the Board of “Sourcio” IT start-up, Chairman of the Board of the “AIT” IT start-up. He has seven articles in local and international journals.
Stefan Schandera Regional Facilitator: Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Stefan Schandera is facilitating the East European Central Asian region. Since 2002, he has been living and working in different former Soviet Union countries as an SME development consultant for international organizations as well as governments and enterprises. Before, Stefan managed a youth party in Germany, co-founded a public relations agency, and managed a business consulting company with focus on innovative SME in areas like renewable energies and biotechnology. As an East German, Stefan has a special interest in innovation development in the economies in transition of the former Soviet Union.
Peter Lindholm has been advising States, Regions and International organisations in the fields on Innovation Systems for more than twenty years. He worked in most European countries but specialised in the CIS since 1999. His track record comprises consultancy projects as well as the implementation of concrete hands-on projects. This includes centres for commercialisation of science or financing of innovation. He participated, with team members, to the design and development of a number of science and technology parks based on the know-how of the famous Sophia-Antipolis Science Park located in the South of France. Finally, he contributed as key note speaker to a number of conferences focusing on innovation and competitiveness and published a series of volumes describing good practices in theses domains.
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