The Government has invested UAH 4.7 billion in the development of small and medium-sized businesses over the past year under the Government's eRobota grant programme. This was announced by Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy.
"The Government's eRobota grant programme aimed at supporting small and medium-sized businesses has been operating for over a year now, and during this time, 7,000 entrepreneurs have received grants to start or expand their businesses. In total, the Government has invested UAH 4.7 billion in entrepreneurship development through grants. These are investments not only in business activation – new companies have been opened, existing ones have increased production volumes and are mastering other areas – but also more than 20,000 new jobs for Ukrainians in these companies," said Yuliia Svyrydenko.
In general, since the launch of the eRobota project in July 2022:
- 6328 microgrants worth UAH 1.5 billion were disbursed under the "Vlasna Sprava" programme;
- 485 grants worth UAH 2.8 billion were disbursed for the development of processing enterprises;
- 110 grants worth UAH 428 million were disbursed for horticulture and greenhouse development.
Both existing entrepreneurs and people with no business experience can apply for a grant. Applications are submitted through the Diia portal along with a business plan. A prerequisite for receiving a grant is the creation of new jobs – 1 to 2 in the case of a microgrant to several dozen in the case of grants under other programmes. The grant funds are returned to the state in the form of taxes and fees paid in the course of the company's operations over three years.
As a reminder, the eRobota project was launched by the Government in July 2022 to support businesses and stimulate job creation. It includes several grant programmes. These include microgrants for starting or developing a business, grants for the creation and development of processing plants, and grants for planting a garden, viticulture, and greenhouse.