Within this stormy military year, the team of the Create Creative Entrepreneurs project of the Creative Spark: Higher Education Enterprise Program of the British Council managed to successfully implement the 4th competition of startup projects «You Must Try!» on a new, all-Ukrainian scale. Teams of students and mentor lecturers were selected for the semifinals and finals of the competition, representing:
− State Higher Educational Institution «Novovolyn Electromechanical College»;
− Lutsk National Technical University;
− Lviv State University of Life Safety;
− Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University;
− National University «Poltava Polytechnic named after Yury Kondratyuk»;
− National Pharmaceutical University;
− Ukrainian Engineering Pedagogics Academy;
− Kharkiv National University of Economics named after Semyon Kuznets;
− Kharkiv National University named after V.N. Carazine;
− Ternopil National Medical University named after I.Ya. Gorbachevskii.
This year, the Ukrainian Engineering Pedagogics Academy was represented by 4 teams: Modern Creative Youth; Pryanya Art; 3D-Land and GM Room which brought together students and lecturers of the Department of Food Technology, Light industry and Design. The most active start-ups of UEPA in 2022 were the mentors: Lazareva Tetyana Anatoliivna, Professor; Blahiy Olga Serhiivna, Associate Professor; Denis Volodymyrovych Borisenko, Associate Professor; and students: Gubanova Marina Mykhailivna, Hrygorenko Nataliia Volodymyrivna, Safonova Anastasia Oleksiivna, Horiainova Anastasia Mykolayivna, Maksymenkova Nataliia Valeriivna, Golovashchenko Sofia Oleksandrivna, Hartfilia Valeriia Andriivna and Minka Alevtina Olehivna.
The projects of UEPA teams related to the production of souvenir gingerbread products in the form of a puzzle of Ukraine, the sewing of patriotic hoodies with original prints of iconic locations of Ukrainian cities, chocolate 3D-printing, and the development of adaptation training using art therapy and augmented reality.
According to the results of the competition, UEPA teams received co-financing in the amount of 20,800 hryvnias for the production of prototypes of their project products and training under the program of the School for writing grant projects. Besides, the teams had the opportunity to pump up their entrepreneurial skills at trainings on drawing up a business model «Business Model Canvas: Mastering Business Models» and «How to get «Yes» to a million or Training on video pitching and presentation of startup ideas" and to present video pitches of their startup projects before the jury, which consisted of super professionals in various spheres of the startup movement and creative business of Ukraine.
Jury representatives not only evaluated our teams, but also provided valuable advice on the further development of the participants' business initiatives, professional expertise, motivation and flight analysis. It is especially pleasant to note that the absolute victory, that is the 1st place, in the competition was won by the team «Pryanya Art» from the Ukrainian Engineering Pedagogics Academy. In addition, our teams won the special nominations of the competition «CRAFT BUSINESS» and «Change the Future: Adaptation Tool».
We would like to remind you, that the competition was organized by the public organization «Innovative Generation» in partnership with the University of Bedfordshire (Luton, Great Britain), Kharkiv National University of Economics named after Semyon Kuznets, and the Ukrainian Engineering Pedagogics Academy as part of the Create Creative Entrepreneurs project of the Creative Spark: Higher Education Enterprise Program from the British Council.
We would also like to note with pleasure and gratitude that the Department of Innovative Development and Image Projects of the Department of Family, Youth and Sports Affairs of the Kharkiv City Council, the Regional Council of Young Scientists under the Department of Education and Science of the Volyn Regional State Administration joined the ranks of partners and co-organizers of this year's competition and the Ukrainian Association for the Development of Management and Business Education.
