Twelve organisations from Moldova and Ukraine, selected for the BOOST: Innovation Ecosystem Accelerator, will meet at a BOOSTCamp in Warsaw from 13–15 October. Held at the CIC Warsaw Innovation Campus and hosted with Venture Café Warsaw, UNDP BOOST’s partner on the ground, the three-day residency will bring the cohort together with innovation experts, mentors and ecosystem partners from Poland and UNDP’s global network for practical workshops, study visits and peer exchange.
Participating organisations will map their connections and knowledge within the cohort and visit Polish business support organisations. The BOOSTCamp closes with an ecosystem meetup hosted by Venture Café Warsaw, including a pitch event for the organisations.
The event is part of the BOOST: Innovation Ecosystems Accelerator, powered by the UNDP and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. The Accelerator sets out to strengthen economic resilience and recovery, advance green and digital transformation, expand access for underserved individuals and communities, and build stronger, more connected local innovation ecosystems. The programme helps business support organisations in Moldova and Ukraine, which work closely with entrepreneurs and are key drivers of innovation ecosystems, to strengthen their capabilities, broaden their networks, and develop their locally led programmes for entrepreneurs, particularly in communities outside capital cities and major metropolitan areas.
Strong innovation ecosystems rely on organisations that support entrepreneurs. However, in Moldova and Ukraine, many of these organisations are working in challenging conditions. A needs assessment carried out to tailor the learning highlighted where they would benefit from support: securing longer-term and more diverse funding, moving from start-up support to services that help businesses scale, building skills in digital, green and EU-related areas, and better capturing the impact of their work. To bolster these organizations and develop effective innovation ecosystems, additional support aims to improve their capabilities through access to expert trainings, mentorships and hands-on guidance on designing, implementing and scaling impactful business support programmes and services.
In addition to attending the BOOSTCamp, participants will also gain access to UNDP and Polish innovation networks, peer learning across the regional ecosystem and a chance to compete for a US$50,000 implementation grant. All graduating organisations will join the BOOST Alumni Network, with continued access to learning, partnerships and opportunities across Europe and Central Asia.
The BOOST: Innovation Ecosystems Accelerator is part of the Polish-UNDP partnership: Innovative Solutions for SDGs Project, funded by the Polish Aid programme and coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. The partnership aims to utilize Polish expertise on development challenges in partner countries, emphasizing green recovery, resilience, and long-term economic transformation in the region. The Accelerator programme is structured to directly leverage this expertise: in-person meetings with Polish organizations help participants to strengthen their connections across Moldova, Ukraine, and Poland.
