The selection of participants for the national award for contribution to the development of entrepreneurship — Ukrainian Enterprise Promotion Awards (UEPA) — has begun.
UEPA — is the Ukrainian national stage of selecting candidates for the European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA). The UEPA award will be awarded to initiatives that contribute to the development of Ukrainian small and medium-sized businesses at the national, regional and local levels.
Candidates will be elected in six nominations:
Improving the business environment and promoting entrepreneurship;
Investing in entrepreneurial skills;
Supporting digital transition;
Supporting business internationalization;
Supporting a sustainable transition;
Responsible and inclusive entrepreneurship.
National organizations, regions, communities, cities, public-private partnership initiatives, educational programs, business organizations, SMEs, and cross-border initiatives can apply for participation in UEPA 2025.
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises can only apply for category 6 «Responsible and Inclusive Entrepreneurship», unless their commercial products and services are affected. This award is intended for companies (including social or non-profit enterprises) whose projects promote corporate social responsibility (e.g. efforts to develop entrepreneurship among vulnerable groups such as the unemployed, internally displaced persons, people with disabilities, veterans and other war-affected people, etc.).
Among the selection criteria:
- originality and practical implementation, success and innovation of the project;
- impact on the local economy;
- the usefulness of the project for local stakeholders, the level of their involvement;
- the possibility of scaling the project to other regions and European countries.
The deadline for submitting an application for participation in UEPA 2025 is May 23, 2025.
The two best applications for UEPA 2025 will be submitted to EEPA 2025, which is a pan-European competition for European Union member states and other EU candidate countries, such as Ukraine.
You can learn more about the award and apply at the link: https://business.diia.gov.ua/initiative/eepa-awards-ukraine.
The Ukrainian Enterprise Promotion Awards 2025 was initiated by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the Office for Entrepreneurship and Export Development, and the national project Action.Business within the framework of the EU4Business: SME Policies and Institutions Support (SMEPIS) project, which is implemented by Ecorys in a consortium with GIZ, BRDO, and Civitta with financial support from the European Union.