The Clusters4Regions initiative is aimed at strengthening the economy of the regions of Ukraine through the implementation of the national clustering policy at the regional level.
Clusters4Regions is implemented by the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance at the request of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine with the support of the UCORD project.
The purpose of Сlusters4Regions is to strengthen regional economic development through the effective implementation of the national policy of clustering at the regional level.
Geography Сlusters4Regions – pilot regions of the UCORD project: Sumy, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Volyn and Odesa regions.
In the implementation of the initiative, an important role will be played by Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) of the specified regions. This role will consist of supporting the creation and development of regional cluster organizations. In addition, RDAs will ensure that clusters are properly connected to wider networks and that their activities are aligned with regional and national strategies.
What will the regions get?
- 12 economically active clusters in 6 regions;
- 6 regional cluster programs based on the strengths of each region;
- Comprehensive methodology for development and implementation of cluster programs for all regions of Ukraine;
- Individual support programs for small and medium-sized enterprises in 6 regions;
- Strengthening partnership between different parties to create a unified approach to the development of clusters in Ukraine;
- Improving the capacity of Regional Development Agencies to ensure that clusters are properly connected to wider networks and align their activities with regional and national strategies.
The initiative will run from 2025 to 2026 and will take place in several key phases, including:
- development of methodological approaches;
- training of regional experts;
- development and implementation of cluster programs;
- development of regional projects;
- launch of the cluster accelerator;
- transfer of the entire package of support tools and program management competencies to the regional development agency.
For reference: The Swiss-Ukrainian project “Ukraine’s Cohesion and Regional Development “, UCORD is implemented with the support of Switzerland via the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation by NIRAS Sweden AB. The project focuses on the transformation of the organizational structures of Regional Development Agencies in Ukraine, as well as building their capacities in order to establish their role as leaders and facilitators of recovery, capable of determining regional priorities and forming partnerships for the development and implementation of projects that fully reveal the potential of regions. UCORD currently supports six pilot regions of Ukraine: Khmelnytskyi, Sumy, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Odesa, and Volyn Oblasts as starting points for capacity building and awareness raising initiatives across the country.
Ukrainian Cluster Alliance (UCA) – it is a multi-industry nationwide union of enterprises, business associations, clusters and cluster organizations of Ukraine that strive to increase their competitiveness by implementing the principles of cluster cooperation, industrial, digital and green automation innovations and effective interaction with the state. UCA is the leading and largest formal association of the cluster movement of economic clusters of Ukraine – currently the Alliance includes 48 clusters and cluster-type associations.