Norway gives grants to relocated Ukrainian businesses

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has launched a programme to support Ukrainian business owners who moved from war-affected territory to the Lviv or Ternopil regions, in western Ukraine, the ministry of reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories reported.

In order to apply for a NRC grant, the company has to have the prospects for new jobs, and its business is to have a positive impact on the development of the community where it has been relocated.

In cases of family businesses, an application may be submitted by only one family member.

The application form, available until 20 April, can be found here.

Since March 2022, Ukraine’s economy ministry, regional state administrations, state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia and state postal service Ukrposhta have been carrying out the enterprise relocation programme.

During the first year of the full-scale war, 800 businesses were relocated to safer regions under the government's relocation programme, with 623 having already resumed operations.

In August 2022, the National Bank of Ukraine’s business expectations index showed that the relocation of enterprises had restored optimism in the industry.