A Business Support Centre last month started operations in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, part of the EU4Business initiative of the European Union, supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The Business Support Centre in Kyiv was established jointly with the EBRD at the Kyiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry, of which it is a subdivision.
In May 2016, the EU4Business Initiative signed an agreement between the EU and the EBRD on the allocation of funding for consultancy, information, training and other support for SMEs in Ukraine. The assistance involves the creation of a network of 15 Business Support Centres throughout the country, as well as supporting the direct financing of SMEs by the EBRD.
The Business Support Centre in Kyiv fulfills the following functions:
- provides entrepreneurs with information on new business opportunities, and existing regional and international SME support programmes, including with the EBRD;
- cooperates with the national network of EU4Business Business Support Centres;
- carries out search, accumulation, systematization of commercial information, forms a database of business information resources and maintains it up-to-date;
- searches potential domestic and foreign partners for business cooperation projects, including in the spheres of investment and innovation;
- carries out preparation of reviews of markets for goods and services and promotes business entities in promoting their domestic and foreign markets for their goods and services;
- provides informational and analytical references (expert opinions) on producers of a product or service in Ukraine;
- organises the training of officials and officials of enterprises and organisations on safety issues;
- organises training on fire safety for managers, officials, responsible persons for ensuring fire safety of enterprises, establishments and organizations and workers engaged in work with high fire hazard;
- participates in the implementation of urban development programmes for industry and entrepreneurship, including in organising and conducting the competition for ‘Best Exporter of the Year’;
- carries out the management of the Non-State Register of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs whose financial status indicates their reliability as partners in entrepreneurial activity in Ukraine and abroad;
- prepares information products for directories, newsletters, multimedia, etc.;
- carries out processing of commercial offers of enterprises and distributes them;
- organises trainings, seminars, conferences, round tables on issues of conducting business activities;
- co-operates with the profile departments of Kyiv City State Administration, city council and rayon administrations, the City Council's Board on Business Development in Kyiv.
Receiving funding is one of the most difficult tasks for small and medium enterprises. The BSC advises and directs SMEs to the EBRD or other investors to implement their projects.