A year has passed since the Sumy Regional Development Agency began a new stage of development thanks to its partnership with the UCORD project. The Agency is directing grant support from the project towards its institutional development and initiatives that are important for the region’s development.
Recently, the Sumy Region Development Agency summed up the results of its first year of cooperation with UCORD. And the results are truly impressive.
During the year, the agency formed its team and developed internal policies on personnel, finance, procurement and communications. In May 2025, the Supervisory Board approved the Development Strategy of the RDA of Sumy region.
In addition, UCORD international experts provide mentoring support to the agency, focusing on enhancing leadership, strategic capacity and effective implementation of grant projects.
The agency is also a regular participant in internship programmes organised by UCORD. In particular, agency staff have participated in training programmes on project management, studying the experience of European development agencies in strategic planning at regional and local levels, attracting investment and project development.
To develop international cooperation and improve the communication capabilities of agencies, the UCORD project, in partnership with the British Council, has launched an English language learning programme. Employees of the Sumy Regional Development Agency are among the best students in this programme.
In addition, the UCORD project helped the agency team renovate their office and purchase equipment and furniture.
As a result of the partnership with UCORD, the Agency’s institutional capacity has grown significantly, in particular:
- The RDA actively participated in the process of updating the Sumy Region Development Strategy until 2027;
- Provided support in the creation of the Konotop Development Agency, a new local centre for supporting initiatives;
- Helped develop development strategies for four communities in the Sumy region — Sveska, Yampil, Korovynska, and Popivska — and statutes for three communities — Druzhba, Kyrykivka, and Mykolaivska;
- Developed a catalogue of craft producers in the region and cultural profiles for 27 communities;
- Provided consulting support to entrepreneurs (prepared 10 business plans, which attracted UAH 3.4 million in investments and contributed to the creation of 14 new jobs);
- In cooperation with other international projects, the Agency implemented two projects for a total amount of UAH 17 million.
Despite challenges such as security restrictions and limited resources, the Agency’s team continues to work systematically for the development of the Sumy region. We are proud to have such partners!
We would like to remind you that the Region Regional Development Agency of Sumy region receives institutional support from the project ‘Ukraine’s Cohesion and Regional Development ’, UCORD, which is implemented with the support of Switzerland via the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation by NIRAS Sweden AB.