About the Special Initiative
Special Initiative as part of the Partnering in Business with Germany programme to help strengthen the economy of Ukraine
Funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), this Special Initiative for Ukraine by the Partnering in Business with Germany programme was an instrument for foreign economic development by Germany. BMWE has charged GIZ, a German service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education work, with implementing the Partnering in Business with Germany programme and its Special Initiative for Ukraine.
Aim of the Special Initiative
Russia’s war on Ukraine has forced large numbers of professionals to flee their country, leaving it devoid of their expertise. The Partnering in Business with Germany’s Special Initiative provided both refugeed Ukrainian professionals and German businesses an attractively tailored prospect for reciprocal learning and collaboration.
The Initiative was designed to help invigorate Ukraine’s economy, but also to prepare it for integration into the EU Single Market. That endeavour requires participation in the Ukraine economy of qualified executives and decision makers who are prepared to help build viable international networks and partnerships, even as the war on their country is ongoing.
It is the aforementioned priorities that shaped the agenda of the Special Initiative, which saw German businesses offering Ukrainian professionals who have had to flee their country and are therefore residing in Germany job-shadowing opportunities and, thus, insight into German business practices. The programme enabled both parties to forge and develop valuable, long-term connections. The first Special Initiative programme was held in Berlin and Düsseldorf from October to December of 2023 and involved German companies based in those cities. The Initiative allowed participating Ukrainians to broaden their management and intercultural-cooperation skills and to make use of their role as so-called bridging managers to develop projects in unison with their host companies that would help to re-build Ukraine’s economy.
Once repeated: The Bridging Managers programme to follow the successful pilot project between Germany and Ukraine
A repeat round of the Special Initiative in Berlin and Düsseldorf was underway in January 2025. The programme once more allotted a timeframe of eleven weeks (January to April 2025) and included job-shadowing and advanced-training components as well as supplemental tutorial support.
Successful matching: the Special Initiative for Ukraine proves to be relevant
Promotion of foreign trade and investment, labour market integration and a corporate social responsibility project: the second round of the Special Initiative for Ukraine in the context of the Partnering in Business with Germany programme came to a successful end in Berlin and Düsseldorf at the beginning of April 2025. 76 Ukrainian “bridging managers” and 63 German host companies look back on valuable cooperation.
What people have said about the Programme
While we profited greatly from Rusteem‘s past experience and his tireless spirit, Rusteem himself benefitted from immersing himself back into a more-or-less normal office routine.
The programme gave me the possibility to enter the business environment in Germany, to feel myself the professional I was back in Ukraine and still am now, to be somehow back to the normal everyday work life. It also offered great training, I’ve learned a lot new, and it was a great feeling to be a student again. This programme is valuable and should be continued!
After the first training week, it was easier to understand Germans and their business culture. During my job shadowing, I realised that my opinion meant something to the team. I felt valued and understood. It was a great experience that my opinion was listened to.
Oversight and contact information
The Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE)
Partnering in Business with Germany is a global programme for the promotion of foreign trade. It is overseen by the BMWE. The aim of the programme is to initiate business connections between SMEs in emerging economies and Germany. The programme helps some 1000 foreign professionals every year to familiarise themselves with the German marketplace and establish B2B contacts with German businesses likewise interested in entering new markets. This pro-partnership approach fosters long-term business ties and helps to establish a global network of internationally operating SMEs.
Partnering in Business with Germany is a bilateral undertaking between the BMWE and partner ministries subscribed to the programme in other countries. The BMWE had political charge over the Special Initiative for Ukraine and has for the Partnering in Business with Germany programme.
Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
The BMWE commissioned Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) , a German service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education work, with implementing the Special Initiative. GIZ collaborates with independent Business Development Centres in Germany. Together with the Business Development Centres, they selected participants for the programme and then serve as the support contacts for those participants.
Business Development Centres
GIZ had commissioned the Business Development Centres AHP International (in Berlin) and Carl Duisberg Centren (in Düsseldorf) to provide training for participants in the Special Initiative programme in Berlin and Düsseldorf, respectively. AHP International and Carl Duisberg Centren based their curricula specifically on the requirements of both the Ukrainian professionals who took part in the programme and the demands of the marketplace in Germany. They also conducted the matching of prospective participants with German host companies – doing so in close coordination with GIZ.
Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce and Industry
One of the specific focuses of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce and Industry is on the Ukrainian marketplace. The Chamber is an important contact for businesses operating or planning to operate in Ukraine. The Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce and Industry was a cooperation partner of the Special Initiative for Ukraine.
Our contact
Contact person: Kristin Hausotter
E-Mail: ed.zig@gp-evitaitinilaiceps