Project Details
Description
This impact project aims to activate new mixed methods research on displaced entrepreneurs in Ukraine to directly support the survival, recovery and long-term development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) uprooted by Russia’s invasion. Building on a rich programme of interviews conducted with internally displaced entrepreneurs (IDEs) from Luhansk, Donetsk, Kyiv oblast, Zaporizhzhia and other conflict-affected and frontline regions, the project will translate empirical findings into applied, practice-focused toolkits to aid entrepreneurs, local authorities, business support organisations and NGOs working at the front line of post-displacement reconstruction.
The underpinning research uncovers how entrepreneurs navigate the profound disruption caused by forced displacement: the loss of fixed assets and production capacities; uncertainty and psychological strain; mismatches between old and new markets; labour shortages; unreliable infrastructure; and weak or uneven institutional support. Despite these crisis dynamics, many SMEs have demonstrated remarkable resilience. The interviews illustrate diverse but patterned pathways to recovery: from medium-sized manufacturers reconstructing operations in new industrial centres, to micro-enterprises rebuilt through donor grants, diaspora networks or community support; from service firms leveraging digital tools and remote work, to traders and craftspeople adapting to new regional cultural political economies.
Three cross-cutting research themes guide the project: (1) how business models change after displacement, including scaling down, diversification and new value propositions; (2) the practices and enabling conditions that underpin successful relocation, such as access to grants, social capital, municipal support or adaptive entrepreneurship; and (3) the role of institutions, networks and place, including how displaced entrepreneurs integrate into new ecosystems, rebuild trust, leverage networks and navigate local opportunities and embedded business cultures.
The impact project will convert these insights into a variety of major outputs:
- A suite of toolkits for displaced entrepreneurs, covering immediate post-relocation survival, business model adaptation, accessing institutional support, rebuilding customer bases and mobilising community and diaspora networks.
- Co-designed workshops with Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, regional entrepreneur networks and selected SMEs, to test, refine and contextualise the tools.
- Guidance papers for policymakers, NGOs and municipal authorities on supporting displaced businesses and designing effective post-displacement enterprise programmes.
- Podcast series featuring displaced entrepreneurs, support organisations and members of the research team. The series will share lived experiences, good practices and practical advice, widening the reach of the toolkits and strengthening knowledge exchange across dispersed entrepreneurial communities.
By grounding tools in lived entrepreneurial experience – rather than generic SME support models – the project will provide context-sensitive, actionable resources for the thousands of Ukrainian entrepreneurs who continue to rebuild their livelihoods under war. Ultimately, this work aims to strengthen resilience, accelerate business recovery and contribute to Ukraine’s broader economic reconstruction.
Building on this collaboration, in January 2026 we applied for funding through the Twinning Seed Fund for Research Excellence (£30,000), which will generate co-produced toolkits, workshops and policy-relevant outputs and contribute directly to the development of a larger, multi-work-package Ukraine-focused Horizon Europe on post-conflict entrepreneurship and economic reconstruction.
The underpinning research uncovers how entrepreneurs navigate the profound disruption caused by forced displacement: the loss of fixed assets and production capacities; uncertainty and psychological strain; mismatches between old and new markets; labour shortages; unreliable infrastructure; and weak or uneven institutional support. Despite these crisis dynamics, many SMEs have demonstrated remarkable resilience. The interviews illustrate diverse but patterned pathways to recovery: from medium-sized manufacturers reconstructing operations in new industrial centres, to micro-enterprises rebuilt through donor grants, diaspora networks or community support; from service firms leveraging digital tools and remote work, to traders and craftspeople adapting to new regional cultural political economies.
Three cross-cutting research themes guide the project: (1) how business models change after displacement, including scaling down, diversification and new value propositions; (2) the practices and enabling conditions that underpin successful relocation, such as access to grants, social capital, municipal support or adaptive entrepreneurship; and (3) the role of institutions, networks and place, including how displaced entrepreneurs integrate into new ecosystems, rebuild trust, leverage networks and navigate local opportunities and embedded business cultures.
The impact project will convert these insights into a variety of major outputs:
- A suite of toolkits for displaced entrepreneurs, covering immediate post-relocation survival, business model adaptation, accessing institutional support, rebuilding customer bases and mobilising community and diaspora networks.
- Co-designed workshops with Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, regional entrepreneur networks and selected SMEs, to test, refine and contextualise the tools.
- Guidance papers for policymakers, NGOs and municipal authorities on supporting displaced businesses and designing effective post-displacement enterprise programmes.
- Podcast series featuring displaced entrepreneurs, support organisations and members of the research team. The series will share lived experiences, good practices and practical advice, widening the reach of the toolkits and strengthening knowledge exchange across dispersed entrepreneurial communities.
By grounding tools in lived entrepreneurial experience – rather than generic SME support models – the project will provide context-sensitive, actionable resources for the thousands of Ukrainian entrepreneurs who continue to rebuild their livelihoods under war. Ultimately, this work aims to strengthen resilience, accelerate business recovery and contribute to Ukraine’s broader economic reconstruction.
Building on this collaboration, in January 2026 we applied for funding through the Twinning Seed Fund for Research Excellence (£30,000), which will generate co-produced toolkits, workshops and policy-relevant outputs and contribute directly to the development of a larger, multi-work-package Ukraine-focused Horizon Europe on post-conflict entrepreneurship and economic reconstruction.
| Status | Active |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 1/01/25 → 31/12/27 |