The “Pay it forward” Contest – Fostering a Culture of Trust and Mutual Assistance in Cluster Communities
Ukrainian Cluster Alliance (UCA) Initiative – “Pay it forward” Contest
The “Pay it forward” contest, launched by the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance (UCA), aims to promote the principles of selfless interaction within the cluster environment.
Ukraine’s current socio-economic environment, especially under martial law, creates new challenges for cooperation among cluster development stakeholders. Competition for resources, donor support, and recognition often leads to isolationism, reduced trust, and weak coordination of actions — including between clusters. The result is fragmented efforts and initiatives, a risk also highlighted in UCA’s 2024 Annual Report.
In response, UCA is launching the “Pay it forward” contest — a mechanism for affirming our core values and a culture of mutual assistance, rooted in the best Ukrainian traditions of volunteering and the Scandinavian model of social cooperation.
Purpose and Philosophy of the Contest
The “Pay it forward” contest promotes the values of selfless support, where the act of helping does not imply immediate benefit or reward. The main idea is to encourage participants to act ahead of requests or needs, creating an environment of mutual trust and support.
This approach counters the dominant mercantile mindset found in many sectors (“what’s in it for me?”) and instead fosters a system of delayed reciprocal exchange, similar to the “Pay It Forward” concept that is widely practiced in Northern European countries.
Categories and Participation Rules
The contest features three categories:
- Business / SMEs: Cases of assistance to other companies or communities without a request or expectation of compensation.
- Educational and Research Institutions: Examples of open mentoring, knowledge sharing, or development of free educational programs.
- Clusters: Stories of inter-cluster cooperation, experience sharing, support for newly established associations, or joint projects.
How to participate: Submit a short description of a case (in text or video format) demonstrating the practical application of these principles.
Evaluation and Results
Cases will be evaluated by an independent jury composed of UCA Board and Executive Directorate members. Winners will be announced at the UCA Annual Conference, and all selected participants will receive the “Support Launcher” status. Chosen stories will be published on UCA’s official platforms as examples of best practices.
UCA also invites international partners and donors to participate — your support will amplify this initiative and help expand it to other categories of business associations and civil society organizations.
Submission deadline: September 30, 2025.
Importance for the Cluster Community
The contest has the potential to:
- Strengthen horizontal ties among cluster movement participants;
- Recognize contributions and re-activate our initiatives with the international ambassadors of the Professionals4Ukraine program;
- Overcome fragmentation in the cluster environment by encouraging cooperation;
- Foster a culture of openness, knowledge sharing, and trust — as a foundation for long-term sustainable development.
This contest complements another UCA initiative in 2025 — “Practice Leader”, which serves as a platform for exchanging best cluster practices and innovative approaches to cluster management.
The “Pay it forward” initiative is not just a contest — it is a tool for strengthening the cluster community’s social fabric, helping participants rethink the motivations behind economic cooperation. It promotes a new paradigm: not to “gain a benefit,” but to become a source of change, creating a positive chain effect that impacts the entire ecosystem.