About the Project
The project is a systemic initiative aimed at democratizing access to high-tech equipment and expertise in the fields of robotics and mechatronics, with a focus on the Odesa region, through the creation of a horizontally integrated network of at least six open prototyping laboratories based at educational institutions and SMEs.
It addresses the “Missing Middle” problem – the gap between a scientific idea and a commercially attractive MVP – by establishing an infrastructural bridge for transferring developments to business, primarily to local industrial enterprises.
The expected outcome is the achievement of measurable direct (hard) and indirect (soft) effects in line with the objectives of the Regional Cluster Development Program, with the potential to scale the model to the national level.
Objectives
- Democratize access to high-tech equipment and expertise
- Establish a horizontally integrated network of at least six open prototyping laboratories
- Bridge the “Missing Middle” gap
- Create an infrastructural bridge for transferring developments to business
- Develop a scalable model of a laboratory network
Key Problems and Opportunities in Focus
Challenges:
- Critical lag of Ukraine in the field of high-tech hardware manufacturing
- The existence of a “Missing Middle” gap between fundamental research and the creation of an investment-attractive MVP
- Insufficient infrastructure for transferring engineering solutions to industrial implementation
Opportunities:
- Exponential growth of the global robotics market (over 600,000 robot shipments per year by 2027)
- Leveraging Ukraine’s existing IT and scientific potential to develop the hardware sector
- Establishing an infrastructural “bridge” (FabLab MiRONAFT) for transferring developments to local industrial enterprises
Expected Impact
- Number of acceleration program graduates reaching TRL 5+: 10–12 teams
- Total amount of grants/investments attracted by graduates: >€300,000
Expansion of the number of cluster partners to >20 (HEIs, SMEs, public institutions)
Donor / Investor Engagement Format
- grant funding
- blended finance
- co-implementation
Readiness Status - investment-ready
Existing Elements:
- Partnerships
- Preliminary research
- Institutional framework
Infrastructure resources
Infrastructural
3 years
Total budget: €200,700
Structure:
- Grant funding: 60–70%
- Odesa Regional Cluster Program (No. 1013/A-2025): 10–15%
- Partner contributions (HEIs, SMEs): 15–20%
- Private investors / benefactors: 5–10%
Multi-regional
SMEs, communities, IDPs, veterans, clusters
NGO “SOUTHERN UKRAINIAN RECONSTRUCTION AND RECOVERY CLUSTER”
- NGO FabLab MiRONAFT
- LLC “Telekart-Prylad”
- Luxoft
- DataArt
- EPAM (residents of Odesa IT Family)
- Qweedo Robotics
- MATAS Robotics
To discuss partnership opportunities:
Contact Person: Viktor Yehorov
Email: yehorov.qr@gmail.com
Linkedin