Representatives of public authorities, foreign embassies of Ukraine, international representations of SCU (USA, Israel, China, Azerbaijan) and innovative clusters of towns/regions and startups “Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine” (Vinnytsia, Mariupol, Kramatorsk, Sievierodonetsk, Poltava, Kherson, Kryvyi Rih, Lutsk) joined the Sikorsky Challenge 2021.
Various events are planned within the festival: International Defense Investment Forum of Ukraine – strategic session on “Ukraine’s Defense Industry 2030”, what awaits the domestic strategic industry, thematic panel discussions, including a panel discussion “Ukraine’s opportunities for innovative breakthrough in industrial high-tech and space”, exhibition of startup projects, breakthrough scientific and technical designs, including the latest innovative designs in the defense industry, Sikorsky Challenge Hackathon 2021 (Scientific and Technical Library of KPI), exhibition of research projects of students of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and “Eco-Techno Ukraine”.
“Being in the KPI, I am proud to feel that Ukraine is a country with talented youth who is able to change the world. After all, young people – students, scientists – seek change, it is here, where they gain some experience, gain knowledge and implement the first projects. The university is the center of unification of efforts of scientists, business, high-ranking officials, innovators, startups, and students. Dear participants of the festival, move forward, do not be afraid to set the most ambitious goal and go for it with your head proudly raised. The main thing is to be purposeful!” – wished the participants the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Serhii Shkarlet.
“It is symbolic that the 10th jubilee festival of innovative projects Sikorsky Challenge takes place on the eve of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence. We consider it not only a national but also an international event, because the festival includes innovators, authors of the best inventions, and the best startups not only from most regions of Ukraine, but also from other countries. Today, the Sikorsky Challenge innovation environment includes more than 120 high-tech companies: more than 25 from the United States, about 20 from Europe, Israel, China, other countries, and the rest are from Ukraine. Over the years, the Sikorsky Challenge has brought more than 150 new technologies and new innovative products to the Ukrainian and world markets. And all this is done at the expense of private high-tech businesses. Dozens of startups, started by students and even schoolchildren, members of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, met their investor and grew into successful large companies. In the national dimension, we are creating Sikorsky Challenge startup schools in other towns and regions of Ukraine, which teach inventors to become entrepreneurs and centers of local innovation clusters. These include local authorities, universities, companies, banks and other stakeholders who are interested in inventions and startups. Now our innovative islands have been launched in 20 regions of Ukraine. That is, the infrastructure is formed on the basis of mutual interests.
The current, tenth jubilee festival “Sikorsky Challenge” will have several important panels. These are “Defense and Security”, “Industrial High-Tech and Space”, “Biomedical Engineering and Human Health”, “Agricultural Engineering”, “Green and Hydrogen Energy”, “Ecology”, as well as “Information Technology, Digital Country, Сybersecurity”. The international expert jury of the festival selected 160 (out of 315) startups that reach the finals. It is nice that among the “adult” designs, students, members of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine will also exhibit their works. The festival is always a milestone: summing up, determining the winners, future prospects for startups and their investors. But the main thing is progress, expansion of the territory of innovation and intellectual environments, breakthroughs in ideas, technologies and their implementation!
And here we all must be like-minded. Personally, I dream that the whole of Ukraine will become such an innovative environment! And I am convinced that this will come true,” – said rector of the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Scientific Supervisor of the “Sikorsky Challenge” Innovation Environment, academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Mykhailo Zghurovskyi.
The competition of innovative projects takes place in 6 sections: “Defense and Security”, “Industrial Hi-Tech and Space”, “Green Energy and Ecology”, “Biomedical Engineering and Human Health”, “Agricultural Engineering”, “Information Technology, Digital Country, Cybersecurity”. Every year, the Sikorsky Challenge receives about 200 innovative startup projects. A record number of applications was received for the anniversary festival – 320! 130 startup projects and scientific and technical designs were selected for the final.
National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” has been a part of the Sikorsky Challenge innovation ecosystem for 3 years in a row. In the spring, the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” and Poltava City Council signed an agreement on cooperation and partnership and a Memorandum on the implementation of the program to create and support an innovation cluster in Poltava. This year the Poltava innovation cluster prepared a project in the field of green energy, which was selected for the finals.
Poltava Mayor Oleksandr Mamai sent his congratulations to the festival participants.
“Effective inventive activity and the development of innovations is a priority of our time. Sikorsky Challenge brings together innovators and startups from Ukraine, the United States, Israel, China, Azerbaijan and other countries.
We all see the Sikorsky Challenge constantly evolving and gaining momentum. We truly thank the team of organizers that the level of the festival grows every year. And we are evolving together with this ecosystem. Let me send a written greeting to the participants and organizers of the Festival on behalf of the Mayor of Poltava, on his instructions.
Today we have a positive experience of a startup school, which teaches inventors to become entrepreneurs and which has been transformed into a local center for innovation. The formula for the success of our university is “education-science-business-authority”. It is these local centers, which unite the efforts of all interested stakeholders, and that contribute to the creation of as many innovative micro and small enterprises as possible at the regional level.
The festival is not just about summing up and determining the winners. This is a new development of innovative and intellectual environments, new ideas and new projects! Together we form a modern innovative Ukraine!” – commented the rector of the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”, Professor Volodymyr Onyshchenko.
In 2019, the project of young scientists of Poltava Polytechnic also reached the festival’s finals, and the university also presented the results of the startup school.
Last year, Svitlana Sivitska, Vice-Rector of Poltava Polytechnic for Scientific and International Work, Coordinator of Poltava Startup School, joined the International Jury of Startup Competitions and took part in a panel discussion titled “Development of the Ukrainian Network of Startup Schools “Sikorsky Challenge” and creation of innovation clusters”.
Media Center of
National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
