Five regional development agencies will receive grants to implement strategic priorities within the framework of the “Regional Future” programme.
On 22 December 2025, the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Cohesion and Regional Development of Ukraine” (UCORD), together with the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, announced the winners of the grant programme competition for regional development agencies (RDAs) “Regional Future.” The event marked the conclusion of the competitive selection of participants within the UCORD grant programme, which aims to support the recovery and development of regions, strengthen the capacity of RDAs as coordinating platforms and drivers of economic growth, and implement strategically important regional initiatives in non-pilot regions of the project.
The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine, and the UCORD project.
“Switzerland has been a partner of Ukraine for over 25 years in supporting reforms and providing humanitarian assistance, and actively participates in reconstruction processes. At the same time, experience in implementing recovery projects shows that reconstruction cannot be separated from development. We follow the principle of ‘rebuilding with a view to the future.’ Supporting reforms helps shape the vision of this future and lays the foundation for Ukraine’s sustainable development. One of the key elements of regional development reform is RDAs, which act as drivers advancing regional policy locally and bringing together various stakeholders,” said Ilona Postemska, Senior Programme Coordinator at the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine.
Oleksii Riabikin, Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, noted that thanks to the support of the UCORD project, regional development agencies are increasingly clarifying and understanding their mission.
“They are becoming a bridge between community residents, local governments, different levels of authority, and the private sector, ensuring coordinated decision-making and practical implementation of regional policy on the ground. In this context, it is important to understand that without creating economic growth hubs, territories lack a defined future. An effective institution capable of attracting investment and supporting development projects creates real opportunities for regions. This is why resource and institutional support for RDAs is essential, and today we can already see successful cases to follow. It is also important that, thanks to UCORD, Ukrainian RDAs are integrating into the European community. This year, memoranda were signed in Brussels between pilot RDAs and the European Association of Development Agencies, opening new opportunities for knowledge exchange and further scaling of cooperation,” said the Deputy Minister, Oleksii Riabykin.
A total of 12 applications were submitted by RDAs for the competition, from which the five most successful were selected: the RDAs of Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Mykolaiv, Rivne, and Lviv regions. The total programme budget is up to 400,000 Swiss francs.
“The goal of the ‘Regional Future’ grant programme is to support RDAs in preparing, developing, and prioritizing portfolios of regional development projects, which will be formed in close collaboration with communities, civil society institutions, government authorities, and businesses. Its main focus is on implementing regional strategy objectives, enhancing competitiveness, and stimulating economic growth in the regions. This programme is not a classical institutional support programme. Its key value lies in experience sharing and spreading best practices already developed by pilot RDAs, which can be passed on to new partner agencies. Another important component is the launch of the KROKUS online learning platform. It will allow new RDAs to transform ideas into conceptual applications, which can later form the basis of regional development projects in the field of public investment and be proposed for funding from various sources,” said Maryna Bryl, Project Manager of UCORD.
The event was held at the press center of the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center.