Business partnership development mission for Ukrainian IT companies linked to Internet World 2009, London, UK has been organized and implemented by the European Union Project to support the development of business capacity of Ukrainian SMEs.
Business partnership development mission for the IT sector is a sector-specific export mission to the UK aimed to promote the development of long-term business relationships between Ukrainian and EU companies.
The mission is combined with the participation in the Internet World 2009 Europe's largest, longest running and best attended trade show for Digital Marketing and Internet business attracting over 13,000 visitors and more than 300 exhibitors each year. The event helps worldwide IT companies to formulate and implement their online strategies, from digital marketing to ecommerce, content management to hosting. This year the Internet World has passed in 17th time and brought together UK’s leading suppliers and visionary individuals from marketing, IT, digital and eCommerce spheres.
The mission is addressed to managers of 10 selected small and medium sized Ukrainian IT enterprises represented priority regions: Kyiv, Kharkiv and Donetsk. The selected companies encompassed a wide-range of IT skills including Software Application development, Web-design/development services, Professional Software Testing, ERP/CRM and Business Application development and others - including expertise in web-portals and e-commerce solutions, content management systems, on-line lending and credit services, social networking and video-sharing community websites etc.
The list of Mission participants:
- InterLink LLC
- Mirasoft
- Business Automatics, JSC
- Tangram Ukraine
- Data Express
- InnoVinn LLC
- Altima
- MBS
- WG SoftPro
- Business Service
During the Internet World the mission participants have presented their companies and products and services to potential business partners from EU countries as well as carried out the number of face-to-face business meetings with leading IT and Marketing organizations attending the event.
Attendance of more than 200 free seminars conducted by industry professionals combined with business networking provided Project participants with an opportunity to observe the latest industry developments, exchange business experience and perceive Western approach of doing business.
Apart from visiting the Internet World, the mission programme has included business and official meetings with various organizations based in UK, among them are included but not limited, the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB), the British Ukrainian Society, Ukrainian City Club in London and Ukrainian Embassy in London.
During the meetings all mentioned organizations have expressed an interest to support the mission participants in entering the EU market and promote Ukraine as reliable and attractive destination for the outsourcing and offshoring of IT and business services. Recent development of the Ukrainian IT sector as well as listing Ukraine in the TOP30 Gartner’s outsourcing destinations for a second year in a row have also been emphasized as positive trends in building business relationships with EU partners.
The selection of EU market is justified by the results of the recent survey aimed at identification of market opportunities and niches for the Ukrainian companies conducted by the project. The survey shows that the UK is largest EU-market for IT services, amounting to € 31 billion (2006) and also the second, after Germany, EU-market for software, amounting to € 81 billion in system software segment and € 7 billion in the application software segment.
The Project participants expressed a positive results and emphasized an increased opportunities to build business relationships with EU partners as a result of direct contacts established during the event and business contacts organized by Project team. Also, the project participants have gained a better understanding of the latest developments of European IT industry, innovations, trends and Western approach of doing business.
The results of the mission undoubtedly will have long-term impact and benefits for the Ukrainian IT industry and will facilitate to building of business relationships between Ukrainian and EU organizations as well as approximate Ukrainian companies to the European approach of doing business.
After successful implementation of the European Union project to support the development of business capacity of Ukrainian SME's another initiative patronized by European Commission has been started. 
