Mission Description

WINWIN Ukrainian Global Innovation Strategy 2030 (Innovation Strategy), developed by the Ministry of Digital Transformation (MDT) of Ukraine and approved by the Government of Ukraine, sets Ukraine’s priorities for innovation development across strategic sectors. In close collaboration with MDT and relevant public institutions, market actors, municipalities, development partners and private-sector stakeholders, the WINWIN Energy Lead will support the strategic development and coordination of the Energy sector within the WINWIN Innovation Strategy 2030.

The expert will focus on decentralized energy resilience, distributed and flexible energy resources, digital energy systems, energy efficiency, industrial decarbonization, clean energy technologies, pilot-to-scale implementation, commercialization and international cooperation. The Energy Lead will design, structure, coordinate and support implementation mechanisms. Formal policy, regulatory, budgetary, infrastructure and investment decisions, as well as day-to-day implementation, remain with the competent institutions, programme team and implementation partners. The assignment is part-time and therefore focused on high-leverage strategic and coordination outputs.

Objectives and tasks

In close collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the expert will perform the following tasks:

1. Strategic Sectoral Planning and Roadmap Development

·       Develop and maintain the WINWIN Energy Roadmap, translating priorities into sequenced actions, milestones, KPIs and implementation mechanisms aligned with national energy, reconstruction, EU integration and industrial priorities.

·       Identify priority technology and innovation areas and ensure coherence with WINWIN governance, cross-sector priorities and relevant national strategies.

2. Governance and Institutional Coordination

·       Establish and coordinate a multi-stakeholder Energy governance structure involving relevant public institutions, municipalities, industry, academia, investors and development partners.

·       Define roles, decision-making and reporting mechanisms, and maintain an overview of priorities, dependencies, risks and required decisions.

3. Policy, Regulatory and Sandbox Development

·       Identify regulatory, institutional and market barriers to energy innovation and develop evidence-based recommendations and innovation-enabling mechanisms, including sandboxes, pilot frameworks, incentives and public-private cooperation.

·       Coordinate expert input and facilitate validation with relevant institutions and stakeholders.

4. Energy Data, Stress-Data and Strategic Foresight

·       Develop an approach to energy innovation data, stress-data and strategic foresight, identifying priority data needs, analytical gaps and resilience indicators.

·       Apply data, scenario analysis and foresight to inform planning, investment, technology assessment and resilience priorities.

5. Ecosystem Development, Market Building and Commercialization

·       Map and connect key energy innovation actors, identify market and investment gaps, and develop mechanisms for technology validation, commercialisation, market access and scale-up.

·       Facilitate collaboration between innovators, industry, investors, public institutions and international partners, including through procurement and industry partnerships where relevant.

6. Innovation, Research and Pilot Portfolio Development

·       Establish transparent criteria and stage-gate mechanisms to identify, select and prioritise energy innovation projects and pilots, linking research, technology development, demonstration, financing and scale-up.

·       Build and coordinate a portfolio of high-potential pilots, with KPIs, risk and monitoring approaches, and assess results to support replication and commercialisation.

7. Infrastructure, Cluster Development and Centre of Excellence

·       Support the development of innovation infrastructure, energy clusters and the WINWIN Energy Innovation Centre of Excellence, including assessment of infrastructure and capacity needs and opportunities for shared testing, demonstration and validation.

·       Coordinate relevant public, private, academic and international stakeholders around infrastructure, cluster and Centre of Excellence initiatives.

8. International Partnerships and Strategic Engagement

·       Develop and facilitate partnerships with EU and international institutions, donors, investors, technology providers and innovation ecosystems, including opportunities for financing, technology transfer, joint pilots and market access.

·       Represent and communicate WINWIN Energy priorities in relevant international and strategic fora, as appropriate.

9. Education, Workforce Development and Capacity Building

·       Identify skills and capacity gaps related to energy transition, digitalisation and emerging technologies, and support partnerships for training, research, entrepreneurship and workforce development.

10. Cross-Sector Coordination and Team Collaboration

·       Coordinate Energy priorities with other WINWIN sectors, particularly digitalisation, industrial transformation, infrastructure, innovation and human capital, and contribute to joint initiatives and cross-sector pilots.

·       Work closely with the WINWIN team and relevant experts to ensure consistency, knowledge sharing and coordinated delivery.

Expected deliverables 

The expert will deliver the following outputs within the agreed operational plan and subject to relevant mandates, information, resources and partner commitments:

1.     Energy Innovation Ecosystem Mapping – mapping key actors, infrastructure, initiatives, market opportunities and priority gaps.

2.     Energy Sector Roadmap and Operational Implementation Plan – strategic priorities, actions, KPIs, pilot and partnership pipeline, regulatory priorities and alignment with Energy-sector OKRs.

3.     Governance Framework – proposed mandate, composition and operating model for the Energy Innovation Steering Committee and Working Group.

4.     Policy, Regulatory and Sandbox Recommendations – identified barriers and recommendations for innovation-enabling regulatory, institutional and market mechanisms.

5.     Energy Data, Stress-Data and Strategic Foresight Framework – priority data needs, analytical approach, resilience indicators and scenario/technology assessment.

6.     Pilot Portfolio and Strategic Pipeline – pilot selection and stage-gate framework, financing and monitoring approach, and at least three priority pilot concepts.

7.     WINWIN Energy Innovation Centre of Excellence Concept – mandate, governance, implementation roadmap, partnerships, priority workstreams and sustainability model.

8.     International Partnership and Investment Pipeline – facilitation of at least two strategic partnership, investment, research or market-building engagements, documented through agreed follow-up outputs.

9.     Education, Workforce and Capacity-Building Framework – priority skills and capacity needs and proposed partnerships or initiatives for training, research and workforce development.

10.   Implementation Support and Reporting – contribution to agreed Energy-sector activities and cross-sector priorities, monthly and quarterly progress updates, and final assignment report.