Walter Derzko
The deadline is fast approaching to register for a week-long Canadian Trade mission leaving for Kyiv, Ukraine in September, 2002. Eighteen Canadian firms took part in the April 2002 mission. Thirteen firms have already signed up for the September mission, so only a few spots are left!
Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) may receive up to $2,600 in travel support that covers airfare, food and costs for hotels on the initial outgoing mission to Ukraine. Canadian companies are also eligible to receive up to $40,000 Canadian in matching support funds from the Canadian government for outsourcing R&D projects to Ukrainian scientists, researchers, engineers or programmers.
Large and small to medium sized companies, universities or R&D labs in Canada, USA and Europe wishing to contract out research and development and product prototyping including software development can now participate in a special joint Canada-Ukraine program. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), with the support and cooperation of the Science and Technology Centre of Ukraine (STCU) is undertaking a project to increase the interaction between scientists, engineers and computer programmers from Ukraine and SMEs in Canada and other parts of the world.
In light of the difference in costs of performing research in Ukraine versus the west, the Canadian Government estimates that western companies will be able to achieve up to the equivalent of $2-300,000 worth of research for as little as $50-60,000 or a fraction of the cost.
Ukraine has 1% of the world’s population but over 6% of the world’s top scientists. Just as India and Ireland are now the preferred location for contracting out software development, Ukraine is quickly becoming the new broad spectrum R&D location of choice for many western firms and labs including IBM, 3M, DuPont, NASA, Sandia Labs, Motorola, GE and many opportunity-savvy SMEs.
Contact Walter Derzko in Toronto for partner project and Trade Mission travel details at (416) 588-1122 or at wderzko@pathcom.com.