Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship Creative Spark Ukraine project case study

The Creative Spark Ukraine research project, which started in 2018, is led in tandem by Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship (HCfE), Kyiv National Economics University (KNEU) and the British Council. It has actively supported 16 entrepreneurs in Ukraine through their own versions of the Start-Up Bootcamp and IDEAFEST, adapted from HCfE's initiatives and hosted by KNEU.

The Ukrainian IDEAFEST has identified several promising new business ideas, with 2019 runners-up New Vision being a major success story. New Vision produces portable skiascopic rulers to reduce eye strain. Their product is two times smaller than the classic rulers, is made of an easily recycled eco-plastic, meets all optometry industry standards and is 17 times cheaper than equivalent products in Europe.

The team behind New Vision has also taken guidance from HCfE to ensure their manufacturing product portfolio diversifies, developing an innovative and interactive mobile application for training. It requires minimal eye contact with the phone screen, as it uses sound and vibration signals, and working with the Centre for Eye Microsurgery and the INGO Clinic they have created personalised training programs.

In addition, KNEU invited HCfE to help with the creation of a 12 month course on entrepreneurship, developed with the support of Ukraine's Department of Education with teaching beginning from the 2021/22 academic year to all senior schools in Ukraine. Schools identified teachers before this to train in order to deliver the course.

Authors	Professor Maksim Belitski