Center for Small Business Development Kharkiv Technologies

Director - Inna B. Gagauz

The Center for Small Business Development “Kharkiv Technologies” (CSBD KT) was created in 1998 in association with the Institute of Single Crystals as a part of the Business Incubator Development (BID) Program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and managed by Loyola College, Maryland, USA. The main goal of the CSBD KT is to assist in the development of small and medium-sized technology-based businesses. From the beginning it operated as a hybrid incubator combining business education and training and consultating activities along with operating the physical incubator that has housed 8 selected firms based on their needs for high-speed Internet service. During two years of operation, 2 of the companies have matured and left the incubator and were replaced with 2 new companies.

The main services provided by the Center are the following:

- consulting to businessmen;
- development and expertise of business plans;
- carrying out of the trainings on improvement of professional skills for top managers and employees of enterprises;
- assistance to commercialization of scientific and technological achievements;
- development of methodical and educational materials;
- assistance to small businesses in access to credit and investment resources, improvement of commercial opportunities in Ukraine and abroad, search for business partners and assistance in creation of joint ventures;
- technology business-incubation (providing incubator space with office equipment for selected companies based on their needs for high speed Internet communication);
- crediting innovation projects (from 5,000$ to 60,000$);
- Internet business center service (over 100 users).

Highly professional experienced staff works at the Center as well as experienced trainers, experts, consultants, specialists in technology commercialization and transfer are involved on a contractual basis to provide training and consultations.

Implementation of the Program is supported by the Ukrainian Cabinet, the Regional and City administration, and other governmental and profit-making organizations of Ukraine and abroad.
The Center collaborates with Kharkiv consulting firms, business centers and international programs such as NewBizNet, the Alliance, Tacis, etc.

At present the Center is a member of Ukrainian Association of Incubators and Innovation Centers, one of the founders of the Ukrainian Association “Women in Science and Education” as well as one of the first three Ukrainian Science and Technology Parks, the Institute of Single Crystals.

Center clients are more than 300 firms in Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region, among them are “Khartron”, joint venture “Amcris-H ltd.”, “Avtramat”, “TochMedPribor”, etc.

The Center provides the following trainings modules:
- Innovation management and marketing;
- Commercialization of the scientific and technological projects;
- Effective business planning;
- Computer technologies in business;
- Business English;
- Corporative trainings on improvement of professional skills for managers and employees of enterprises according to subject-matter orders;

During the operation of the Center over 1600 representatives of Kharkiv, Kharkiv region, Dnipropetrovsk and Minsk enterprises have been trained at the Center.