From 13 December 2025 to 16 January 2026, the Third Winter Business School “Youth and Business: EU and Ukrainian Experience” was held online. The event aimed to disseminate knowledge about the core values and practical principles of doing business in the European Union and Ukraine. Approximately 40 participants took part in the Business School, including university and college students, as well as senior secondary school pupils from the city of Sumy and the Sumy region.
The synchronous component of the Business School combined two panel discussions with entrepreneurs and a series of live online group tutorials delivered by the Jean Monnet Module team. The first panel brought together early-stage entrepreneurs who inspired participants through their personal examples to take their first steps in entrepreneurship. The second panel featured experienced entrepreneurs who shared their entrepreneurial journeys, insights into overcoming challenges, scaling businesses, and launching new projects in Ukraine and abroad.
Invited speakers included Ukrainian entrepreneurs with experience in business development both in Ukraine and abroad, including EU countries. Their contributions enabled participants to gain practical insights into entrepreneurship, business growth and operating in different business environments.
During the Business School, participants joined the specially designed online course “Startup: First Steps in Business: EU and Ukrainian Experience”, which combined asynchronous learning materials and practical assignments with live online group teaching delivered by the Jean Monnet Module implementers. A series of structured group tutorials was organised for participants wishing to develop their own business ideas and business models. During these sessions, participants analysed customers and competitors, developed value propositions and business models, created MVPs and prototypes, explored opportunities for attracting finance in Ukraine and the European Union, and considered appropriate forms of business registration.
Between the live sessions, participants continued working independently through the online course and developed their business projects individually and in teams. Those wishing to further refine their projects could also receive feedback and mentoring support from entrepreneurs and business experts.
The Business School was organised, taught and moderated by members of the Jean Monnet Module team – Dr Bohdan Kovalov, Prof. Oleksandr Kubatko, Dr Iryna Ushchapovska and Vladyslav Piven, lecturers and researchers of Sumy State University.
The Business School was held within the framework of the European Commission project – the Jean Monnet Module “Youth and Business: EU Practices for Cooperation” (101126538-YouthBEU-ERASMUS-JMO-2023-HEI-TCH-RSCH).
