CANADA - UKRAINE AEROSPACE AND AVIATION BUSINESS SUMMIT

19 Oct 2009

On September 29-30, 2009 in Kyiv, Ukraine, the Science and Technology Centre in Ukraine (STCU) in cooperation with the Canadian Embassy in Kiev and the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU) organized a two day business to business networking event aimed at exploring trade, science and technology and investment opportunities between Canadian and Ukrainian companies, organizations, institutions and university in the aerospace and aviation sectors. Key speakers included Canadian Ambassador Daniel Caron, STCU Executive Director Andrew Hood, and Olexander Zinchenko, the General Director of NSAU. This was a follow-up event to the Canada Ukraine Business Summit held in Dnepropetrovsk and Kiev in March 2008 which featured four sectors: agricultural, construction, energy and aerospace. Out of these, the aerospace sector was deemed to have the most potential for a single sector summit. For the event a booklet showcasing R&D and manufacturing capabilities in the aerospace and aviation sector across Ukraine was developed. The booklet is available upon request.

Twenty three Canadian participants attended representing 13 companies, organizations and government agencies, including the Canadian Space Agency, the National Research Council of Canada, the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, Bombardier, MDA - Space Communications, NovAtel, L-3 Westcam, Smart Economy, and MDS AeroSupport. There also were participants from 48 Ukrainian entities, including the National Space Agency of Ukraine and other institutes, universities, research organizations, and companies. The Summit coincided with the signing a USD $254 million deal between MDA - Space Communications and the National Space Agency of Ukraine to supply Ukraine's first space communications satellite and related ground station upgrading. This satellite is planned to be launched on a Ukrainian rocket in late 2011 and serve then expanding Ukrainian and Eastern European telecommunications and broadband needs.