On 7 May 2026 in Kyiv, at UNIT.City and online, as part of the national event “Digital Europe 2026”, a panel discussion entitled “How EDIHs are transforming business and the public sector” took place, focusing on the role of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) in the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine. The event brought together representatives of the European Commission, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, digital hubs, the business community and the start-up ecosystem.

Artem Krasenko, a representative of the Metaenga start-up project and head of the virtual reality laboratory at the Centre for Immersive Technologies of Chernihiv Polytechnic National University, took part in the panel discussion on behalf of WIN2EDIH. During the discussion, he shared practical experience of collaborating with the European digital innovation hub WIN2EDIH as an example of how the hub’s tools facilitate the digital transformation of start-ups and SMEs. In his speech, A. Krasenko emphasised that the collaboration with WIN2EDIH began through participation in specialised training sessions on building platform teams, digital processes, and the legal aspects of Deep Tech and artificial intelligence. The knowledge gained became an important resource for Metaenga in developing its own digital solutions, and also helped to better integrate modern technologies into the company’s operational activities.

Particular attention was paid to the fact that WIN2EDIH for SMEs is not merely an educational platform, but a comprehensive support mechanism that enables the testing of innovations prior to large-scale investment, the identification of partners, the receipt of expert guidance, and the formulation of bespoke requests for new services. According to Artem, it is precisely this flexibility, openness to business needs and access to the wider European digital ecosystem that make EDIHs a key driver of entrepreneurial development.

The panel discussion provided a valuable illustration of how collaboration between start-ups and European Digital Innovation Hubs can help boost the competitiveness of Ukrainian SMEs, develop Deep Tech solutions, and integrate businesses into the modern digital landscape.

The WIN2EDIH project is co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed belong solely to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union or the European Commission. The European Union and the European Commission are not responsible for any use of this information. The WIN2EDIH project has received funding under the “Digital Europe” programme through grant agreement No 101191647.