Business vs the state: who is in charge of innovations?

How to develop genetic engineering in Ukraine? Will Kyiv be able to become a center of European e-sports? Why study neurotechnology and how can it benefit the business? Where is Ukraine now on its course towards digital leadership? How do large corporations keep up with startup culture? The answers to these questions were presented yesterday at the EBA Innovation Day. This six-hour event featured seven speakers who shared their insights on five interesting topics. Read the report below to find out how it was.

Science in Ukraine and World Discoveries

Alexander Koliada, geneticist, founder, and Scientific Director of Diagen, considered that the paradigm of medical research has shifted over the last 20 years. The scientific world is fascinated by the anti-aging studies which receive a significant flow of healthcare investments. In Ukraine, the biology of aging is of interest to people only in the context of health, cosmetology, or self-care, and has not yet become a priority topic in the domestic scientific community. Alexandr believes that for the development of science in Ukraine it is necessary to modernize education and attract private funding. He also cited the development of the coronavirus vaccine as an example of effective interaction between business and science. As in previous centuries, it took 15 years of research to invent such a solution. Meanwhile, the public-private partnership made it possible in just 9 months. For Ukraine, the path of innovation through the state is problematic due to the outdated Soviet infrastructure. At the same time, Ukrainian developers can quickly commercialize new technologies and bring them to market immediately, because, unlike other countries, science in Ukraine is poorly regulated.

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Cybersport in Ukraine. Impact and contribution

One of the TOP news this year was the privatization of the Dnipro Hotel by Alexander Kokhanovskyy, the founder of the NaVi e-sports team and CEO of ZeroGravity Group. According to him, the transformation of the hotel into an e-sports arena will be the first step in creating a holistic cybersport ecosystem in Ukraine, along with the revival of computer clubs. With developed infrastructure, it will be possible to hold multi-level tournaments and championships, which will nurture professional players, as well as increase the investment attractiveness of the country. According to UPEA, in the next five years, Ukraine’s e-sports industry will attract about $ 100 million in foreign investment. This will allow Ukraine to obtain the unique status of an e-sports state. To implement this idea, Alexander and his colleagues are actively cooperating with various ministries and international organizations. For example, recently, together with UNICEF, UPEA representatives developed recommendations for regulating the rights and behavior of children in the field of e-sports and online games.

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Neurotechnology in business 

We discussed with Nikolaos Dimitriadis, Head of Neuro Consulting Services of Optimal HR Group, whether it is possible to read other people’s minds. The speaker explained that currently neurotechnology allows us only to record the brain’s response to stimuli, but scientists are very close to deciphering thoughts in our heads. Thus, certain tools can predict people’s behavior, their emotions, decision-making patterns, and so on. This knowledge has long been used in marketing, sales, and communication. At the same time, new branches of brain research science are emerging, namely, studies are being conducted in the fields of neurofinance, neuroeconomics, and neuro HR. Nikolaos also presented the cases of the practical use of electroencephalogram, emotional voice analysis technology, and eye-tracking.

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Ukraine’s course towards global digital leadership

Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Vice Minister of Ukraine – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, reminded us of the state’s goals in digitalization and shared its first achievements in this direction. First, the concept of a special tax regime for IT companies called Diia.City was developed to increase the share of the IT industry in the country’s GDP to 10%. Secondly, with the help of the Diia.Business platform and the network of offline educational centers, the Ministry wants to create favorable conditions for entrepreneurs to start a business. Currently, 60% of people use this online tool to open FOPs. Citizens also can visit the entrepreneurial hubs of the Ministry in Kharkiv and Mykolayiv for business consultations. Meanwhile, a draft law is being prepared, which will allow the automatic closure of FOPs without recourse to public services. Third, it is planned to cover 95% of the territory of Ukraine with reliable Internet over the next three years. Besides, in 2021, about 10,000 social infrastructure facilities will be provided with a fixed connection. Fourth, efforts are made to simplify tax procedures and fully move them into digital. The Minister also noted that the weakness of state institutions in Ukraine allows some flexibility in the formation of a liberal tax system.

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Innovations – world trends and best practices 

The last panel discussion was started by Vitalii Bulda, CEO, Robert Bosch Ukraine, with a presentation of his company’s innovation strategy. It was reported that Bosch has 30,000 engineers to work on product software development, and every 22 minutes the company comes up with an invention. These numbers are the result of the company’s intensive investment in R&D, which can reach 3.7 billion euros annually. It was also pointed out the importance of corporate culture, which respects the competencies of each team member and does not hinder the free exchange of ideas between them. Robert Bosch Ltd has a startup school in Berlin, which is a separate structure with an atmosphere of creative freedom. Vitaly believes that cooperation between industries is key to promoting innovation and made an example of the joint venture recently established by Robert Bosch Ltd and BASF for smart farming.

Tiberiu Dima, CEO of BASF in Ukraine, also emphasized the importance of multidisciplinary expertise in creating technological innovations. Also, the chemical industry is distancing away from pure science as currently, the priority is not to search for new chemical materials but to develop complex know-how solutions. Mr. Tiberiu provided the data that clearly demonstrated ​​the scale of BASF’s innovation activities. In 2019, BASF spent 2 billion euros on R&D, formed a research team of 11,000 scientists, and registered 1,000 patents worldwide. In Ukraine, BASF is investing in a research center in Myronivka which makes studies on the winter wheat. The company has agricultural solutions teams that develop commercial policies for the agrochemical industry in the country, as innovations are best nurtured when there are transparent policies.

Olena Voloshyna, Head of International Finance Corporation (IFC) Operations in Ukraine, said that large international financial institutions are prone to excessive conservatism, which limits their opportunities for innovation. But, in her opinion, the situation is changing, because in Ukraine, it is seen that the private sector has to take on functions that usually belong to the competencies of the state, such as research funding. Therefore, financial institutions are now interested in investing in Deeptech – scientific developments that have prospects for commercialization. Depending on the industry, the research, and the implementation of Deeptech take from 5 to 10 years, with each stage requiring its own specifics of funding. This area of ​​innovation is most developed in the United States, Israel, and India, where the state cooperates with business and creates favorable conditions for the game.

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The European Business Association thanks all the speakers for this interesting interdisciplinary discussion on the latest scientific and technological achievements and advanced practices that bring us closer to the forefront of change.

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