- Ukrainian firms receive EBRD and EU grants to cover 75 per cent of clean technology costs
- Innovations include agricultural drones, hemp houses, “good plastic” and more
- To date, EBRD and EU have provided €1 million in climate innovation vouchers in Ukraine
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union (EU) 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 in the presence of Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries and Roman Abramovskyy, Minister of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine. The prize covers 75 per cent of the eligible costs (up to €50,000 and excluding VAT) of pioneering solutions and technologies implemented by these private firms to address climate change.
Innovations rewarded include agricultural drones, hemp houses, “good plastic” and more. To date, the EU and the 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 the winners to tackling 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 Vouchers programme.”
The winners are producer of recycled plastic The Good Plastic Company, architecture studio Ekodar, yeast producer Enzym, engineering firm Dominion, water and rainwater management company Viva Victoria and The Laboratory of Advanced Jet Propulsion, a workshop focused on rocket and spacecraft technologies.
The Good Plastic Company is expanding the production of high-quality, recycled and recyclable plastic while lowering its environmental footprint.
Ekodar Architecture Studio is pioneering energy-efficient and environmentally friendly buildings based on the use of hemp blocks and boards.
Enzym, Ukraine’s leading yeast producer, is increasing the capacity of its biogas reactor and reducing wastewater 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 remote climate control systems for greenhouses that include remote access and ventilation, heating, watering, dimming, lighting and fertilisation.
The Laboratory of Advanced Jet Propulsion is completing the development of a full-sized drone for the aerial application of pesticides or fertilisers, to replace obsolete agricultural Antonov An-2 aircraft.
The Climate Innovation Vouchers programme is part of the EBRD’s Finance and Technology Transfer Centre for Climate Change (FINTECC), supported by the EU through its EU4Climate initiative.
In 2017, Ukraine became the first country to benefit from the scheme. To date, €1 million has been provided to 28 local companies.
In Ukraine, the programme is implemented by a consortium led by a greencubator, a non-profit for sustainable entrepreneurship, with the participation of CIVITTA, a management consulting firm.