UCA Delegation Visit to Norway: Strengthening Ukrainian–Norwegian Business Connections

From June 9–11, 2025, NUCC had the pleasure of welcoming a delegation from the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance (UCA) for a business visit to Norway. The agenda included meetings with Norwegian companies, participation in NUCC’s General Assembly, and networking with stakeholders across key sectors of relevance to Ukraine’s recovery and innovation economy.

The delegation represented a broad range of industries:

• Defense, Security and Dual-Use Technology
• Space Industry and Aerospace
• Health and Medical Innovation
• Sustainable Fashion
• Industry and Manufacturing

This visit was part of NUCC’s ongoing efforts to facilitate concrete business connections and enable Ukrainian SMEs and clusters to access Norwegian expertise, relevant partners, and funding mechanisms.

Productive Meetings and New Business Leads

During the trip, the delegates held multiple meetings with Norwegian companies and institutions. Several participants reported positive outcomes and potential next steps from the interactions facilitated by NUCC.

“We have met with S&T, VAKE and Konsberg Innovation on the matters of direct interest to our organization.”
– Yevgen Rokytskyi, Director, Ukrainian Alliance of Innovation Space Clusters

“We discussed matters of mutual interest for collaboration with the following potential partners: Norad, Norfund, SMB Norge, Dragesund, Innovation Norway, NF&TA. We are preparing the letters with concrete ideas for them.”
– Liudmyla Bukhantsova, Chairwoman, Podillia Fashion Cluster

“Thank you for NUCC, I got a lot of interesting contacts. We discussed the opportunities of Ukrainian industrial companies. Inquiries from Norwegian companies and agreed to continue communication and organize online meetings in the future.”
– Viktor Skrypnikov, CEO, Motorimpex LTD, Prykarpatian Industrial Cluster

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Presence at the NUCC General Assembly

The UCA delegates were also invited as special guests to NUCC’s Annual General Assembly and Networking Event on June 11, where they connected with over 100 attendees from Norwegian and Ukrainian business communities, government representatives, and development finance institutions. Their presence brought forward strong regional perspectives from Ukraine’s vibrant cluster ecosystem.

Meeting with the Ukrainian Ambassador

Earlier during the visit, the delegation also had the opportunity to meet with H.E. Oleksiy Gavrysh, Ambassador of Ukraine to Norway. This meeting provided a valuable diplomatic dimension to the program, allowing the delegates to share updates from the Ukrainian cluster ecosystem and discuss opportunities for strengthened international cooperation.

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Key Takeaways and Future Cooperation

The delegates shared several insightful takeaways from their visit:

• The importance of clear objectives and defined partnership models in future cooperation
• The need for targeted matchmaking formats, such as direct B2B meetings
• A growing understanding of how Norwegian companies operate, and which ones may have capacity and interest to collaborate with Ukrainian peers
  

What’s Next?

Looking forward, participants expressed interest in continued cooperation through:

• Information support from NUCC on funding or partnership opportunities
• Organizing online or hybrid events to deepen engagement
• Follow-up facilitation to help maintain B2B dialogues

NUCC is committed to building on this successful visit and ensuring that Ukrainian clusters and SMEs continue to benefit from meaningful connections in Norway. We will highlight key outcomes in our annual report and future updates.

We thank UCA for their partnership and for their trust in NUCC as a facilitator for cross-border cooperation in a time when Ukraine’s resilience and innovation are more important than ever.

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