The Science & Business Acceleration Program is a program from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Startup Fund that supports students, researchers, and technology teams. It is focused on developing knowledge-intensive innovations with commercialization potential. Over the course of six months, participants will be able to turn their ideas into full-fledged startups with a business model, mentoring support, pitch preparation, and access to investors.

Who can join

Science & Business Acceleration Program 2025 is for teams that:

• are working on developments in the fields of MedTech, BioTech, AgroTech, GreenTech or dual-use technologies – industries defined by the WINWIN strategy;
• are at the Proof of Concept stage (TRL 3-6);
• have at least two members, one of whom is a student or researcher;
• have not yet attracted investment, but have a technical base or MVP.

If you are a solo founder, please find your team beforehand: the program focuses on teamwork and the development of an entrepreneurial culture.

What participants will receive

The program will run from June to November 2025 and will include

• strategic mentorship from Ukrainian and international experts;
• practical sessions on business modeling, market entry, and fundraising;
• pitch preparation training;
• meetings with potential investors and partners;
• participation in Demo Day with finalists, experts, and the venture community.

In addition, the program finalists will receive $25,000 in AWS cloud services.

This year’s partners are SET University, a leading Ukrainian technological university, and Berkeley Haas Entrepreneurship, a startup ecosystem at the Haas School of Business (University of California, Berkeley).

Program timeline

• Application deadline: April 25 – May 24, 2025
• Pitch Day (team selection): May 29
• Program Start: June 2, 2025
• Demo Day: November 14, 2025

Learn more and apply here.

Participation in the program is free of charge.

Why it is important

Today, digital transformation requires not only technology but also deep scientific knowledge. It is projects like these – at the intersection of science, market, and innovation – that shape the future of the digital economy. Don’t leave your ideas on the shelves – get involved and scale up!

The program is being implemented as part of a pilot project of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in cooperation with the Innovation Development Fund to create a network of startup schools – incubators – accelerators on the basis of higher education institutions and research institutions.

Source: https://thedigital.gov.ua/