During the XIV International Business Forum “Problems and Prospects for the Development of Innovative Activity in Ukraine: Challenges of Wartime”, the participants were presented with messages from the IP Office team.

Despite the fact that russian aggression against Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014, until 2022, no appropriate measures were taken at the legislative level to preserve the objects of the cultural heritage of Ukraine in the conditions of war. In particular, the legislation did not provide employees of institutions for the preservation of cultural heritage with sufficient tools for digitizing copyright objects stored in the archives and museums of Ukraine, which have yet to pass into the public domain after the copyright term expiration.

According to Dmytro Doroshenko, head of the Department for the Development of Creative Sectors of the Economy of the Division for the Development of Innovative and Creative Sectors of the IP Office, the state must establish a permanent dialogue with representatives of creative industries. The goal is to clarify the legal norms in the field of copyright so that the legal instruments proposed by the new law can be used with maximum efficiency – both in the context of the protection of the author’s rights and in the context of the preservation of those examples of the cultural heritage of Ukraine, which today are constantly under threat of physical destruction.

“On the initiative of the IP Office, a program was introduced to explain the norms of the Law of Ukraine “On Copyright and Related Rights” for representatives of creative sectors of the economy, which in particular include the operation of libraries, archives, and museums. On a practical level, such programs should include both the clarification of problematic issues of copyright and related rights and the development of recommendations regarding the norms of updated legislation for representatives of creative industries for long-term application.

In particular, at the beginning of 2023, the IP Office, together with the State Archives Service of Ukraine, organized a meeting with representatives of the archives. We provided answers to a wide range of questions regarding copyright and related rights in archival matters, the application of the norms of the new law in the work of archives, and in particular, in the process of digitizing copyright objects, etc. Based on the results of the meeting, methodical recommendations on the application of the provisions of the law in the archival case were prepared for the representatives of the relevant sector of the economy. Similar programs are being prepared for representatives of the museum business, art market of Ukraine, etc.,” said Dmytro Doroshenko.

The forum also discussed the innovative ecosystem in the conditions of a full-scale war. As stated in the speech of Maryna Zenova, head of the Innovation Ecosystem Development Department of the Division for Development of Innovative and Creative Sectors of the IP Office, today, almost all innovation processes have negative dynamics. The scientific and innovative potential is decreasing both quantitatively and qualitatively. During the last 25 years, the number of scientists in Ukraine has decreased by five times, and the scientific intensity of GDP – by more than three times.

“Entrepreneurs and investors are in no hurry to introduce developments into production because they are unsure of their quality and whether new products will bring them profit. As a result, the science intensity of Ukraine’s GDP remains critically low, which leads to the loss of science’s ability to perform an economic function, and Ukraine’s chance to become a country with an innovative economy,” said Maryna Zenova.

According to the representative of the IP Office, the main problems for the innovative ecosystem of Ukraine are as follows:

•  The problem of a legislative nature: the imperfection of the legislation, in particular in terms of investing in developments, as well as the need to bring it into line with EU legislation.

•  The problem related to the imperfection of the innovation infrastructure is insufficient development due to a lack of understanding of the need for such creation.

•  The problem of lack of specialists in the field of innovation and technology transfer due to the insufficient level of their training and the outflow of highly qualified specialists abroad.

•  The problem of a low level of invention culture and entrepreneurship among young people due to the unpopularity of science and innovation as spheres of activity.

•  The problem of inadequate financial support for innovations: the lack of an effective model of financial support for developing innovations and innovative businesses due to the lack of state support and budget funds.

For reference:

The XIV International Business Forum “Problems and prospects for the development of innovative activity in Ukraine: challenges of wartime” is organized with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the State Trade and Economic University, the Union of Entrepreneurs of Small, Medium and Privatized Enterprises of Ukraine and Key West University (USA).