Mincifra and “Ukrainian Startup Fund” launched the Sandbox project for startups in the field of AI and blockchain. The Ministry of Digital Transformation informed the Incrypted editorial board about it.
Participants will be able to get a free audit of their product, consultations and recommendations on legal, business and technical components.
The stated goal is to strengthen the startup ecosystem and to create favourable legislation for the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain in Ukraine, using the experience of companies participating in the project.
Mikhail Fedorov, head of the Ministry of Digitisation and Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology, considers the initiative a “win-win project for the state and the startup ecosystem”:
“Startups can pump up and improve their innovative products for free under the accompaniment of top industry experts, while the state cannot miss innovative solutions, including those for the public sector. The aim of the project is to create simple, clear and effective legislation based on the gained experience and needs of technology startups in the field of AI and blockchain. Thanks to favourable conditions, Ukraine will be able to turn into a global hub for testing technologies“.
Ukrainian companies that create a product based on blockchain or AI technologies for the spheres of public administration, medicine, agribusiness, education and defence, digital economy and general infrastructure can become Sandbox participants.
“There are now more than 2,600 startups in Ukraine — even during the war the ecosystem is developing. 18% of them were created after a full-scale invasion. Thanks to Sandbox, we will develop AI and blockchain as strategic technologies for the state. In Sandbox, startups will be able to scale, increase their investment attractiveness for foreign investors and enter international markets due to compliance with EU legislation,” said Alexander Borniakov, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for IT Development.
- Sandbox will provide audits and consultancy services by subject matter experts in AI and blockchain — analysts, lawyers and experts.
- The programme is being launched as a pilot project and will run until October 2026. If the results of the project will be positive and there will be continued demand from companies — Sandbox will become a permanent tool to support innovation in Ukraine, said the Ministry of Digital Economy.
To participate in the project, you need to apply on the website of the “Ukrainian Startup Fund”.
We shall remind you that back in November 2023, representatives of the Ministry of Digital Economy told Incrypted about the work on a regulatory sandbox for innovative projects.