On 14 May 2026, the conference “Clusters4Regions: Synergy of Actions” took place in Kyiv within the framework of the Clusters4Regions initiative, supported by the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Cohesion and Regional Development of Ukraine” (UCORD), implemented with the support of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation by NIRAS Sweden AB.

The event brought together around 80 participants both offline and online, including representatives of the European Commission, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development, the Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office, regional state administrations and regional councils, RDAs (Regional Development Administrations), businesses, clusters, universities, research institutions, civil society organisations, and the expert community. The conference was moderated by Nadiia Petruniak, Coordinator of the Decentralization portal.

The main objective of the conference was to strengthen cooperation among all regional development stakeholders in order to develop cluster ecosystems across Ukraine’s regions, as well as to discuss practical mechanisms for integrating the cluster approach into regional development strategies and programmes.

From Regional Programmes to Cluster Policy

The conference was opened by Marina Bryl, Head of the UCORD Project, who emphasised that one of the project’s key objectives is strengthening the capacity of RDAs (Regional Development Administrations), while the Clusters4Regions initiative is intended to reinforce the role of RDAs as coordinators of regional cluster policy.

Dmytro Kysylevskyi, Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development, highlighted the importance of regional economic development and the underestimated role of RDAs in these processes. State business support programmes were also presented as important tools for cluster development.

Martine Diss, representative of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), presented the opportunities offered by the European Cluster Collaboration Platform, which today serves as one of the key instruments supporting clusters and promoting internationalisation, innovation development, and industrial ecosystem growth within the EU. Among the future priorities of European cluster policy are the financial sustainability of cluster organisations, learning exchanges, and the development of a new EU cluster policy framework.

Clusters as Drivers of Economic Development

The panel “Clusters4Regions – Partnership for Development” was opened by Oleksandr Yurchak, CEO of the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance and Head of the Clusters4Regions initiative. Drawing on examples from European regions, he demonstrated that the cluster approach has a direct impact on labour productivity, job creation, innovation, and the competitiveness of regional economies.

Ukraine’s Regions: Different Starting Conditions – One Shared Direction

During the panel discussion, representatives of regional military administrations and regional councils presented regional cluster development programmes and cluster support instruments.

Regional representatives — Roman Uzhva (Khmelnytskyi Regional Military Administration), Oleksandr Kuchkov (Sumy Regional Military Administration), Veronika Balbuza (Volyn Regional Military Administration), Olena Uzhvak (Vinnytsia Regional Military Administration), Halyna Volianyk (Ternopil Regional Military Administration), as well as representatives of regional councils — discussed common challenges in developing cluster policy across the regions:

• lack of a national legal definition of clusters;
• uneven development of cluster ecosystems;
• the need for professional cluster management;
• shortages of financial and human resources;
• the necessity of integrating cluster policy into regional smart specialisation strategies.

At the same time, regions are already launching concrete support instruments. Vinnytsia region, for example, is developing a voucher support mechanism for clusters focused on marketing, innovation, and digital transformation. Sumy region is preparing projects with clusters for international donors. Volyn region is focusing on launching new cluster initiatives and strengthening cooperation between businesses, universities, and public authorities.

Clusters as a Tool for Economic Resilience

During the panel discussion “How Businesses and Clusters Create Economic Value in Regions”, Andrii Talama, Director of the Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office, stressed that Ukraine’s regions need to rethink their economic development model.

One of the central messages was that in the context of war and economic transformation, businesses operating through partnerships and cooperation are the ones that succeed. For this reason, cluster development is no longer an additional instrument, but a necessity.

Regional coordinators of Clusters4Regions presented practical cases of cluster initiative development in their regions — from initial cooperation efforts to the creation of project portfolios and the search for investment opportunities.

Among the main challenges highlighted by participants were:

• low institutional maturity of clusters;
• shortage of professional cluster managers;
• limited funding;
• insufficient business engagement;
• lack of practical experience in implementing cluster projects.

At the same time, the Clusters4Regions project has already become an important catalyst for revitalising the cluster movement in the regions.

One of the practical outcomes of the initiative was the School of Cluster Management, the results of which were presented by Nadiia Karpliuk. The School has become a platform for developing a new generation of cluster managers and strengthening the capacities of emerging regional clusters.

The next stages of the project will include mentoring support for clusters, the development of a unified cluster management standard, and the systematic development of 12 emerging clusters based on a shared methodology.

The Role of RDAs: From Communication Platforms to Facilitators of Cluster Development

A separate conference session focused on the role of RDAs (Regional Development Administrations) in supporting cluster processes. The session was moderated by Clusters4Regions expert Yuliia Ryzhkova.

During the discussion, the results of a survey of RDAs from the six partner regions of the UCORD project were presented, showing that one of the main barriers to cluster development is the limited institutional capacity of the agencies.

Key conclusions from the discussion included:

• systematic cluster work requires trained specialists and dedicated teams within RDAs;
• without support from regional military administrations and functioning regional programmes, it is difficult to ensure sustainable cluster development;
• regions differ significantly in terms of cluster development and available resources, meaning that a “one size fits all” approach does not work;
• the most demanded instruments include project offices, cluster councils, and grant support;
• the most effective learning formats for RDAs are practical experience exchange, mentoring, and workshops.

Representatives of RDAs repeatedly referred to examples presented during a recent webinar organised by the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance with experts from Upper Austria, Catalonia, Germany, and Poland. European experience became an important reference point for understanding the role of regional development agencies in supporting clusters and developing cluster policy.

At the same time, RDAs realistically assess their current capacities and avoid declaring functions they are not yet able to implement. Nevertheless, there is clear readiness to gradually strengthen their role through communication, facilitation, project implementation, and partnership development.

Clusters: From Networks to Instruments of Regional Development

In parallel, a dedicated session for cluster managers and business representatives titled “A New Model of Clusters: From Networks to Instruments of Regional Development” took place, moderated by Oleksandr Yurchak, Director of the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance. Participants included Oleh Demchuk, Yurii Klymenko, Halyna Shvets, Tetiana Vorontsova, Olha Shapoval, and Olesia Khaletska.

The discussion focused on best practices for establishing and developing cluster initiatives, the role of cluster managers, mechanisms for effective dialogue between business and government, as well as approaches to supporting and scaling clusters.

A particular focus of the discussion was the question of what makes a cluster “real” — namely, the existence of shared economic value, active interaction among participants, professional management, and a long-term development strategy.

Lviv: From Business Support to a Partnership Model

One of the most practical examples of cluster policy development presented at the conference was the experience of Lviv City Council.

Representatives of Lviv presented an approach in which the city is moving away from a model of direct business support toward a partnership and shared value model, where business, community, and urban development mutually reinforce one another.

The priorities of Lviv’s policy include:

• smart specialisation;
• support for cluster associations;
• development of the miltech sector;
• support for veteran entrepreneurship;
• voucher-based business support mechanisms;
• development of processing industries and export-oriented companies.

Particular attention was drawn to the results of the voucher support programme: according to Lviv City Council, every 1 hryvnia of support generated more than 56 hryvnias in tax revenues from businesses.

Next Steps

In the final part of the conference, Olena Nyzhnyk, Head of the “Regional Development” Component of the UCORD Project, and Oleksandr Yurchak, Director of the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance, presented the next steps of the Clusters4Regions initiative.

The priorities include:

• further scaling of the cluster approach across regions;
• strengthening the capacity of RDAs;
• support for emerging clusters;
• development of mentoring systems;
• establishment of unified approaches to cluster management;
• strengthening interregional cooperation.

The conference demonstrated that despite the varying levels of development of cluster ecosystems, Ukraine’s regions are already moving from isolated cluster initiatives toward the formation of a systemic cluster policy. Cooperation between authorities, businesses, RDAs, universities, research institutions, and communities can become the foundation for the sustainable economic development of Ukraine’s regions.