As part of the Ukraine-Ready4EU project, up to 1500 eligible Ukrainian SMEs planning specific activities to become more active on the EU Single Market and to cooperate successfully with EU business partners, can benefit from Business Bridge financial support of €2500 each.
Support to Ukrainian companies to integrate into the Single Market
Business Bridge — Ukraine-Ready4EU
Under the brand name Business Bridge, the Ukraine-Ready4EU project offers financial support combined with additional advice and assistance (e.g., EEN, ECCP, EYE etc.) to up to 1500 Ukrainian SMEs planning specific activities to become more active on the EU Single Market and to cooperate successfully with EU business partners.
The project Ukraine-Ready4EU is funded by the European Union via the “Business Bridge” Call SMP-COSME-2023-SMEUA under project number 101139573.
The project's contact email is businessbridge@ukraine-ready4eu.com
In total, the following five types of activities are eligible for funding in the “Business Bridge — Ukraine-Ready4EU” project from 02.04.2024:
- Type 1): Active participation in business meetings at official events, trade fairs, company missions or brokerage events in the EU.
- Type 2): External support to comply with a sustainable, digital and resilient EU economy.
- Type 3): Examinations and certifications of products, required for the EU Single Market.
- Type 4): External support for complying with customs or other formal export/import requirements for the EU Single Market.
- Type 5): External support on patenting and licensing for the EU Single Market.
Each SME can receive Business Bridge financial support by “Business Bridge — Ukraine-Ready4EU” only once, independent of the type(s) of activity they apply for. During the application process, applicants must select the type(s) of activity for which they are applying. It is possible to select one or more of the eligible activity types. For more information on eligible activities and expenses, see the annex in the “Call for Applications 2024-2” linked below.
Eligibility criteria include:
- The applicant has not applied successfully for Business Bridge financial support by Ukraine-Ready4EU before.
- The applicant is a Ukrainian company located and operating on territory under effective control of Ukrainian authorities, or relocated to EU countries but is still registered in Ukraine.
- The applicant is an existing company, registered under Ukrainian law. The company is not in the process of liquidation or discontinuing its business activities. The applicant is an SME, complying with the European SME definition: less than 250 employees and an annual turn-over less than 50 million EURO, or less than 250 employees and an annual balance less than 43 million EURO. The full definition can be found here.
- The applicant is able to certify its SME status according to the European Commission’s self-assessment tool by supporting legal documents on request.
- The business activities of the applicant have been negatively affected by the war (in terms of business locations, staff, turnover, export markets etc.).
Who can apply?
Evaluation criteria that must be fulfilled by the applicants without exception for a successful selection are:
- convincing motivation and ambition of the applicant to get active on the Single Market;
- proven export readiness and commitment of the applicant to enter the Single Market;
- well-defined and convincing action plan, consistent with the applicant’s business profile;
- adequate demonstration of capability of the applicant to implement the planned activity;
- appropriate and convincing potential economic impact of the planned activity;
- realistic and convincing prospect of success of the planned activity.
Further important information on the “Business Bridge — Ukraine-Ready4EU” project and the eligible activities and expenses can be found in the official document “Call for Applications 2024-2”. It is essential to read the “Call for Applications 2024-2” in detail before submitting an application.
The Call for Applications will close on 30 June 2025 latest due to the end of Ukraine-Ready4EU, or when the maximum number of financial supports has been reached or the total available funds are exhausted (whichever the earlier). The project Ukraine-Ready4EU is funded by the European Union via the “Business Bridge” Call SMP-COSME-2023-SMEUA under project number 101139573.
During the implementation of the mentioned projects, the Consortium Ukraine-Ready4EU may modify or add additional documents upon request from the European Commission. Announcements regarding such changes will be made to all applicants submitting applications.
Conditions of participation and “Guidelines for Applicants”
The conditions of participation in the “Call for Applications 2024-2” are specified in the compulsory “Guidelines for Applicants”, version March 2024, which are binding for this call. It is essential to read the “Guidelines for Applications” in detail before submitting an application.
Submit an application
To apply for Business Bridge financial support, please fill out the application form.
For information:
- Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office, together with partners from the Enterprise Europe Network in Ukraine, Germany, Poland and Lithuania, won the European Business Bridge grant competition with the Ukraine-Ready4EU project, which will provide Business Bridge financial support worth a total of €3.75 M for up to 1 500 Ukrainian SMEs affected by the full-scale war. For more details, please follow the link.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or granting authority European Innovation Council and SMES Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
The project Ukraine-Ready4EU is funded by the European Union via the “Business Bridge” Call SMP-COSME-2023-SMEUA under project number 101139573.