The EIT Jumpstarter programme, initiated by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), named the Ukrainian startup Drone NonDestructiveTesting as the winner in the Rebuild Ukraine category. A total of 10 Ukrainian startups made the shortlist in categories such as EIT RawMaterials, New European Bauhaus, EIT Urban Mobility, and Rebuild Ukraine.
This year's EIT Jumpstarter final took place on November 28 in Budapest (Hungary) during the EIT Community conference "The Next Decade of Innovation for the Future of Europe," marking the 10th anniversary of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme.
The event featured speakers from Ukraine, including Iryna Savytska, CEO and co-founder of Bank of Memories, and Natalia Denykeyeva, head of the Diia City project office at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
EIT Jumpstarter unites and recognizes the most promising innovative startups based on scientifically grounded ideas aimed at solving global challenges. This year, particular attention was given to the Rebuild Ukraine category, which was exclusively presented by Ukrainian startups. These startups focus on developing technological solutions to address issues and challenges arising from the full-scale invasion and aim to contribute to Ukraine's recovery.
The shortlisted Ukrainian startups included:
- Unconventional Lithium Production (EIT RawMaterials)
- UrbanGeoWonders (New European Bauhaus)
- Drive in Five! (EIT Urban Mobility)
- AgRe (Rebuild Ukraine)
- CathodMiner (Rebuild Ukraine)
- Demining Ukraine with us! (Rebuild Ukraine)
- Drone NonDestructiveTesting (Rebuild Ukraine)
- Golos (Rebuild Ukraine)
- INFINITY MAGNITUDE BATTERIES (Rebuild Ukraine)
- VeraNet (Rebuild Ukraine)
Drone NonDestructiveTesting emerged as the winner in the Rebuild Ukraine category. The startup provides advanced remote diagnostics for detecting and ranking infrastructure defects by size and hazard, using drones and AI analytics. The monitoring is done in real time, which helps generate comprehensive reports to enhance safety, optimize maintenance, and support data-driven decision-making.
