IdeasLab 9.0 Grant for Student Startups to Develop and Implement Ideas

Ideas Center UCU, in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame, invites students to join the ninth cohort of the free acceleration program IdeasLab 9.0 — a 13-week initiative in which participants will advance from an idea to a validated product (MVP) and deliver their final pitch.

Students of any universities and specialties. Individual or team (2–5 people) applications are accepted.

If abroad, at least one team member must be in Ukraine for the offline pitch.

Grant of up to UAH 200,000 for idea testing, validation, and further product development.

Mentoring from experts with international experience, workshops, market potential testing, and MVP prototyping.

Initial Stage — Idea Formation

Participants begin by developing their own idea, identifying the problem, and searching for an innovative solution. At this stage, the concept of the future product is formed.

Development and Testing Stage

Students go through the process of creating and validating their product, including the development of an MVP (Minimum Viable Product). This allows them to assess the practicality and potential of their idea.

Training and Mentorship Support

The program combines educational modules, practical work, and mentorship support in a hybrid format. Participants gain the knowledge and guidance needed to further develop their project.

Final Stage — Project Presentation

The program concludes with a final pitch, during which participants present the results of their work, demonstrate the developed product, and confirm its potential for further implementation.

Fill out the online application form, answering questions about the idea or project.

Understanding of the problem, potential for scaling the solution, motivation to complete the full acceleration cycle, and readiness for active participation.

Offline meetings and a week-long Ideathon take place at the UCU Sheptytsky Center in Lviv.