We recently announced IGP’s major new initiative, Bridges for Ukraine, which contributes long-term, sustainable ideas for rebuilding a Ukraine that is prepared for the challenges of the future. We’re now pleased to share the launch of a new White Paper, bringing together leading experts, policymakers and entrepreneurs from the UK and Ukraine to identify practical opportunities for supporting Ukraine’s post-conflict reconstruction.

With Ukrainian leadership, autonomy and innovation at its core, Bridges for Ukraine draws on insights from the worlds of business, technology, engineering, housing, and heritage. Out of the rubble of war, the pioneering project envisions the ways Ukraine can build back better. 

Spearheaded by Professor Henrietta L. Moore, Founder and Director of IGP, Bridges for Ukraine is part of a series led by Fast Forward 2030, an international network of impact entrepreneurs.  

Professor Moore said: 

"Prosperity for the 21st century goes beyond GDP growth. It requires tackling inequality, fostering social unity, protecting the environment, and ensuring access to quality education, healthcare, and decent work, offering people hope for the future.  The UCL Institute for Global Prosperity is committed to transforming the quality of life for both present and future generations."

In his contribution, Professor Vlad Mykhnenko (University of Oxford) describes his vision for a new Ukrainian industrial strategy and Professor Mark Miodownik (UCL Mechanical Engineering and UCL Institute of Making) proposes that Ukraine can rebuild with a decentralised infrastructure model where resilience is baked into the design.  

Martha Lane Fox, President of the British Chamber of Commerce, explains how well-designed digital infrastructure can work alongside physical infrastructure to position Ukraine as a digital leader in an emerging AI world, while Dr Gus Casely-Hayford OBE, Director of V&A East, emphasises the role of cultural institutions as spaces to record, reflect and heal from collective trauma. 

In her foreword, Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Yuliia Svyrydenko, reframes investment in Ukraine’s reconstruction not just as a political statement, but also as a business opportunity.  

She said of the project:

"They offer a platform for joint thinking between Ukrainian and global experts — to expand the space for bold ideas, sustainable growth, and long-term prosperity."

Bridges for Ukraine shines a spotlight on the innovative businesses who hope to be at the forefront of rebuilding Ukraine. Vertical Future, a British startup developing vertical farming technology, and Kotsiuba, a Ukrainian landscape architecture firm focusing on urban public space and challenging car infrastructure, demonstrate the young businesses ready to address the challenges of our planet’s future. 

The White Paper also profiles initiatives such as a leadership training scheme for Ukrainian academics, NGOs and civil servants led by Harvard University academics, which received nearly 300 applicants for just 60 spots. 

Professor Henrietta L. Moore (UCL Institute for Global Prosperity) writes in her introduction: “Bridges for Ukraine is a project borne out of the IGP’s desire to nurture the kind of thought leadership that places innovation and collaboration at the core of cooperation with Ukrainian citizens, communities, businesses, civil society organisations and government officials.” 

She continued: “This diversity of agents, communities and areas is potentially a powerful lever for future innovation but it has to begin with enhancing the participation of individuals and communities in processes of change. 

“Ukraine is holding its future clearly in mind while fighting for its present survival.” 

Bridges for Ukraine’s publication follows a productive roundtable discussion at UCL, attended by British and Ukrainian MPs and leading business figures, where thought leaders and small businesses shared their perspectives on the role of citizens in rebuilding cities and neighbourhoods. 

Bridges for Ukraine will feature at this year’s London Design Biennale as part of the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity’s pavilion ‘People Powered Prosperity’ and the White Paper will be launched at Somerset House on Monday 9th June in line with a panel talk at the London Design Biennale. 

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