When five Ukrainian women innovators boarded their flights to Copenhagen this summer, they weren’t just travelling to another conference. They were stepping into the heart of Europe’s innovation ecosystem — bringing with them resilience, vision, and a determination to rebuild their country through innovation.
The EIT Red Kalyna, a flagship initiative of the EIT Community, is designed to do more than showcase talent. It provides women founders with direct access to Europe’s leading innovation environments, hands-on training, and high-level networking opportunities — all while ensuring the knowledge gained flows back to strengthen Ukraine’s innovation landscape. Aligned with Horizon Europe, the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, and the Union of Skills Strategy, it also delivers on the EU’s commitment to gender equality, fully embedded through the EIT Gender Equality Policy (2022).
Why Copenhagen?
Denmark was a deliberate choice. As a top performer on the European Innovation Scoreboard, the country represents a benchmark for inclusive growth, green transitions, and gender equality. At the same time, Denmark’s steadfast political and financial support for Ukraine — and its EU Presidency in 2025 — added strong institutional weight, ensuring Ukrainian innovators were part of Europe’s most strategic conversations.
Immersed in Europe’s Innovation Leaders
The visit began with a symbolic and powerful gesture: a warm welcome by Christel Schaldemose, Member of the European Parliament. In her remarks, she emphasised the EU’s unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and the importance of empowering women innovators as part of Europe’s collective resilience. This set the tone for the days that followed — positioning the EIT Red Kalyna finalists not only as entrepreneurs but also as representatives of Ukraine’s innovative spirit on the European stage.
Throughout the visit, the delegation engaged with leaders across the knowledge triangle (the intersection of education, research, and innovation). From Atlant3D, a Ukrainian-founded deep tech company now scaling from Copenhagen with partnerships with NASA and ESA, to BLOXHUB, where design thinking meets Europe’s green and digital transitions, the message was clear: innovation is not just about technology, but about solving real societal challenges.
At DTU Skylab, participants discovered how Danish research centres bridge science and business, while the Confederation of Danish Industry highlighted strategies for competitiveness and labour market adaptation — with special focus on cooperation with Ukraine’s defence and dual-use sectors.
Spotlight at TechBBQ
The highlight came at TechBBQ 2025, Europe’s premier stage for deep tech and human-centred innovation. With 8,000+ attendees, 1,500 investors, and 2,200 start-ups, the Ukrainian delegation took centre stage during the panel “From Kyiv to Copenhagen: The Stories of Women Innovating Through Conflict.”
As finalist Daria Leshchenko put it: “Because of the crisis, we had no other choice — there is no old way of working, no legacy structures. Innovation is the only way to survive.”
Beyond the spotlight, the delegation connected with Copenhagen’s Mayor of Employment and Integration, Jens-Kristian Lütken, and allies like WomenTechEU, reinforcing shared European commitments to inclusion and resilience.
More Than an Award, A Community
The study visit ended with reflection and forward-looking plans. From UNIT.City’s proposal to deepen ties with BLOXHUB to the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance’s exploration of defence and medtech collaborations, participants left with concrete ideas to carry home.
What became clear is that EIT Red Kalyna is not just an award — it’s a growing community of women innovators shaping the future of Ukraine and Europe alike. By linking gender equality with innovation and resilience, the initiative is proving how Europe’s support can fuel both immediate recovery and long-term growth.
As the EU continues its mission to remain a global leader in innovation, the stories from Copenhagen show that Ukraine’s women innovators are not just part of that journey — they are helping to lead it.
