Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute
Published on 20 October 2026
On 15 October 2026, a representative of the International Collaboration Department and the National Contact Point of Horizon Europe for Cluster 5 “Climate, Energy and Mobility” at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute joined online the Sixth International Sustainability Forum (ISF) themed “The Future Paradox: Balancing Urgent Recovery with Sustainable Growth”.
This year’s event focused on practical solutions for the resilience, recovery and growth of Ukraine’s economy: how to attract capital amid the russia’s war of aggression and high risks, which programmes and financial instruments are already available to businesses, and what companies need to access them. Panellists also discussed how Ukraine could combine energy resilience with the green transition.
The ISF26 programme was structured around four key discussions:
· Ukraine’s Competitiveness. What needs to change to make Ukraine stronger in the new economic reality?
· Access to Capital. Where can businesses find financing, and what do investors and financial institutions expect today?
· From Responsibility to Action. How can we move from strategies and commitments to practical solutions and measurable results?
· Energy Resilience and Green Transition. How can Ukraine strengthen its energy security while advancing long-term transformation?
The format of the Forum included open discussions, diverse perspectives, and practical cases, among others. After a minute of silence to honour those who have died in russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the event opened with introductory and welcoming remarks by Khrystyna Biliakovska, Social Psychology and Behavioural Science Practitioner, and Alina Sokolenko, Head and member of the Advisory Board of the Association of Sustainable Development Experts (ASDE).
Ukraine’s Competitiveness: Investment, Recovery and European Integration
Alejandro Alvarez de la Campa, IFC Country Manager for Ukraine, stated that energy security remains one of IFC’s key priorities in Ukraine, noting that over €3 billion are earmarked for energy projects in 2027. Supported by its donor partners, IFC has already helped to mobilise more than €550 million in private investment across Ukraine’s energy sector, boosting both fast energy solutions for SMEs through Ukrainian financial institutions and direct investments in large utility-scale renewables.
According to Ruslan Prykhodko, Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine for European Integration, it is necessary to create a veteran policy system that is both flexible and resilient in implementing effective tools to help war veterans to adapt comfortably to civilian life. This involves the maximum recovery of physical and mental health, meeting basic social needs, providing housing, education, and professional adaptation, raising veterans’ competitive capacity in the labour market, creating conditions, incentives, and tools for entrepreneurial initiatives, and more. “The war veteran community is over two million people today,” he said.
Access to Capital: Financing Sustainable Growth
Yuliia Kholodkova, IFC Corporate Governance Officer, reported that a three-month capacity building-programme would commence in November 2026.
A representative of OshchadBank told the forum that the bank proactively finances biogas installations and decentralised green energy projects across Ukraine through its business and municipal lending programmes.
During a coffee break for in-person participants, Florian Andrews, Expert in Sustainability, Cluster Management and the Circular Economy, gave online audience the presentation titled “Investment Readiness: How Investors and Businesses Can Collaborate at Every Stage — from Launch to Exit”. Taking the current conditions for start-ups in Ukraine as his starting point, he examined how very different stakeholders could arrive at a shared understanding and approach.
Florian Andrews suggested that first ideas for potential pilot projects might include alternative fuels, electrical ferries, and dual diploma. The expert pointed out that the private sector would finance rubble clearance or groundwater decontamination when there is a viable business model behind it, enabling investors to launch innovative businesses in Ukraine, which can be brought to other countries as well.
From Responsibility to Action: How Business Creates Social Value
Alina Konovalchenko, Operations Director of UN Global Compact Ukraine, opened the third panel discussion, noting that 63% of employers acknowledged lack of skills in a recent survey as they cannot find the talent they need.
Taras Fito, Co-owner of TOM Peanut Butter, emphasised that the company invests heavily in corporate education, engaging trainers to help workers to learn the best practices that optimise production and corporate culture. “This is a part of our social mission,” he said.
Energy Resilience and Green Transformation
Viktoriya Protsenko, ASDE Ambassador and EBRD Е&S Lead Specialist, launched the fourth and final penal discussion, drawing attention to the fact that the bank had deployed €11 billion for Ukraine's real economy since the start of russia’s full-scale war of aggression, helping to keep businesses operating and critical services running. “Electricity consumption in Ukraine requires 18 gigawatts while the power grid's capacity is estimated at only 11GW,” she added.
Jeff Oatham, Chief Sustainability Officer of the DTEK company, shared DTEK’s first-hand experience of how renewables and more decentralised generation can reduce vulnerabilities in the energy system, alongside its work supporting war veterans and ensuring a just transition for coal communities. “Kyiv remains alive and bustling despite the ongoing attacks and air raid alerts, but the lived experience of this trip included hearing missile strikes before the air raid alerts sounded,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “It's a reminder of the extraordinary circumstances in which our Ukrainian colleagues continue to work, and why strengthening Ukraine's energy resilience remains so important.”
Yuliya Rybak, National Programme Manager of the UNDP Green Energy Recovery Programme of Ukraine, explained that their team develops a sustainable energy system with a green component so that a municipality could operate as an independent energy island, adopting new technologies such as biogas and even hydrogen energy.
Robert Adamczyk, Head of Energy Unit at EBRD Environmental & Sustainability Department, emphasised the need to focus on governance aimed at improving risk management, and anti-corruption efforts, particularly climate governance.
Sarah Weiß, Head of Sustainable Finance Unit, Energy and Climate Cluster at GIZ Ukraine, highlighted that the German Agency for International Cooperation is providing Ukrainian utilities and local institutions with critical technical equipment to ensure infrastructure resilience amid ongoing wartime challenges. “We supported the Kyiv Regional Perinatal Centre to install a solar power station on its rooftop,” she said as an example.
Oleksandr Podprugin, CEO Gloster Energy, remarked that the war risk insurance, which mostly applies to small projects, rose from 4% to about 5% of the cost of assets. Highlighting a critical systemic bottleneck in financing energy projects during hostilities, he said at ISF 2026: “Private capital cannot cover large-scale war risks on its own. You should think about sustainability at the start of a project.”
The forum concluded with the Sustainable Impact Award 2026 ceremony, recognising leaders and initiatives making a practical contribution to Ukraine's sustainable development.
Special thanks are due to Andriy Dligach, Founder of Advanter Group and of the international business community Board, Serhii Naumov, President of the National Association of Banks of Ukraine, Alina Konovalchenko and Viktoriya Protsenko, ASDE Ambassador and EBRD Е&S Lead Specialist, for moderating the panel discussions.
https://asde.com.ua/en/isf26-1-3
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7516759500490698752/
