This is the topic of the bylined article by the CIG managing partner Vladimir Kryvko for the Novoye Vremya.
He reminded that today Ukraine is one of the world leaders in IT outsourcing; however, it "trails far behind" when it comes to creating its own IT products and businesses. "We do have products and services, of course. And they are rather successful. Except that they never stay in Ukraine for too long. And they often change their residence address at the earliest possible convenience. All of a sudden, the talented guys start working and paying taxes in another country. As a result, we simply raise staff, we cultivate teams and projects for other countries. And we end up developing foreign economies," – noticed Vladimir Kryvko.
So, what can be done to foster a strong domestic market? According to the CIG managing partner, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. "We have an example of Israel which shows that even being burdened by the military actions, it is possible to create an innovative industry, literally in the middle of the desert. What has Israel done? The state has arranged a full cycle of IT-industry within its borders: starting with IT-education and up to the relocation of the R&D divisions of IT-giants. This is an example that can be adopted with minor local corrections, as early as in the next few years," – he said.
Of course, Israel had a clear state policy. "And may God give us the same one." But to sit around and blame the state is a dead-end. I suggest we start with ourselves, meaning with the business. And we should see what we can do now to develop a strong domestic market," – added Vladimir Kryvko.