“Your research deserves more than just a paper”: Ukraine strengthens its focus on university innovation
On December 4, University Innovation Day brought together government institutions, universities, and the international innovation community around the development of science-driven technologies. The event was organized by YEP Accelerator within the Seeds of Bravery project funded by the European Innovation Council, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Startup Fund.
At the opening, CEO of YEP Accelerator Andrii Zaikin emphasized why university innovation must remain a priority:
“Innovation in universities takes time, but these solutions are the game-changers that can make universities visible players in the tech market — and bring impact both to the institutions themselves and to the country’s economy. We want to continue this work together with our partners next year.”
Representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine — Iryna Krasovska and Mariia Krasnoshchok — as well as Anna Motrych from the Ukrainian Startup Fund — shared how state support for innovation in higher education institutions is evolving today: expanding a network of startup schools–incubators–accelerators; tools for working with teams; and stimulating the commercialization of research.
At the heart of this policy lies a long-term goal: building an architecture in which the university becomes one of the key entry points into Ukraine’s technological entrepreneurship.
YEP’s pilot within Seeds of Bravery: a new model for universities
University Innovation Day summarized two years of work by YEP Accelerator to establish startup studios in four universities:
— State University “Kyiv Aviation Institute,”
— State University “Zhytomyr Polytechnic,”
— National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute,”
— Lviv Polytechnic National University.
This is the first model in Ukraine that helps student and research teams move from a scientific idea to a prototype, partnerships, and validation of their solutions in practice.
Kseniia Semenova, President of KAI, emphasized that the success of a startup studio model depends not only on methodology: the university’s management must have the internal will to develop innovation and be ready to work with long change cycles. Above all, this is a cultural transformation — and it does not happen in a single semester.
One of the key results was the development of a legal model for establishing university spin-offs, which is currently being tested at KAI. This gives universities a clear framework for working with startups and stimulates research commercialization.
Within Seeds of Bravery, the YEP team also launched the first incubation wave of Beyond the Thesis for university deep-tech teams. At the event, participants saw their pitches — showcasing how research evolves into technological products.
What supports innovators: international perspectives
A panel discussion moderated by Mariia Tintul, Fractional Strategy Lead and Head of the Beyond the Thesis program at YEP Accelerator, became one of the most insightful parts of the event.
Tomi Erho, Head of Innovation Ecosystem Services at Aalto University, stressed:
“Your research deserves more than just a paper,”
highlighting why teams need not only ideas but long-term support and opportunities to test their solutions.
Hakam Agha, founder of the deep-tech company Trace Crystal, added another angle:
“It’s a shame to keep all those scientific research and developments in the lab,”
noting that breakthroughs require infrastructure, a market, and partners who help teams see a path beyond academia.
Another important highlight of University Innovation Day was the presentation by Yuliya Davii and Alina Sevastiuk from the Sustainable Innovation Council. They demonstrated how university research can become part of planet-first solutions — in new energy, materials, biotechnology, and the circular economy. Their talk added an important insight: Ukrainian teams are already capable of building technologies with global impact.
Next stage: applications open for Beyond the Thesis
At the end of the event, YEP Accelerator announced the launch of the second wave of Beyond the Thesis — a specialized program designed to support Ukrainian deep-tech developments and help scientific teams transition from technology to commercial product.
Program details: link
The program aims to bridge the critical gap between scientific development and market readiness, supporting teams with TRL5+ as they reach a new level of investor- and partner-facing presentation.
Ecosystem partners of the project include: Aalto University (Finland), Technical University of Denmark (Denmark), Sustainable Innovation Council (USA), Gateway Excellence Start-up Center at the University of Cologne (Germany).
The main takeaway of the day is clear: innovation in universities is a transformation that takes time — but it has already begun. And this dialogue is not ending; it will continue through programs, partnerships, and new opportunities for teams.
The event recording is available online:
https://www.youtube.com/live/MpULaT9M9yY