Minister of Digital Transformation Oksana Ferchuk, after a trip to Kharkiv, stated that Ukraine can not only adapt European rules, but also create technological and regulatory solutions that will later be scaled to Europe.
Minister of Digital Transformation Oksana Ferchuk, after a trip to Kharkiv, stated that Ukraine can not only adapt European rules, but also create technological and regulatory solutions that will later be scaled to Europe.
Ferchuk wrote about this on LinkedIn after participating in the Global Tech Kharkiv 2026 investment forum, which on August 19 brought together representatives of IT, business, government, education, investors, and international partners in the frontline city.
According to the minister, the trip left her with two main observations — about the resilience of society and the potential of Kharkiv education.
Ferchuk noted that in Kharkiv, the military, entrepreneurs, technology companies, manufacturers, scientists, public organizations, and local authorities actually work as a single ecosystem.
«Sustainability is not an abstract concept,» she wrote.
In her opinion, the city is not just adapting to life near the front, but is creating solutions that can be useful for other communities as well.
That is why, according to the minister, the role of the state should not be to manage this ecosystem, but to create infrastructure, rules, and development tools for it.
This resonates with her vision of Ukraine’s role in the European technological space: «Ukraine must not only adapt European rules — we must also create solutions for Europe.»
As examples, Ferchuk cites «Diya», «Diya.City», defense technologies, and Ukrainian experience with dual-use technologies.
Separately, she proposed the concept of Ukraine as a «regulatory sandbox for Europe» — a country where new approaches can be quickly tested and, after verification, scaled to other markets. The minister sees a special role for Kharkiv in this.
Despite the war, Kharkiv retains its status as one of the main university centers of Ukraine. Ferchuk claims that this year the number of students at Kharkiv universities has increased by about 20%. At the same time, she believes that the scientific and educational potential of the city still far exceeds what the economy receives from it.
Therefore, in her opinion, it is necessary to strengthen ties between universities, science, technology companies, production, the state, and international partners.
Special focus is on areas where Ukraine already has practical experience:
«And it is here that Kharkiv can become one of the centers of a new approach,» says Ferchuk.
