IT Ukraine Association
Definition
IT Ukraine Association: Members, Programs, and Role
The IT Ukraine Association is the country’s largest trade body for software and IT services companies, representing more than 80,000 IT professionals according to its own published materials. The non-profit lobbies government, defends member interests, and promotes Ukraine as a global software and nearshore destination for European and North American buyers.
Definition
The IT Ukraine Association, founded in 2004 and headquartered in Kyiv, is a non-profit industry organisation that unites Ukrainian IT companies under one representative voice. Membership spans product firms, custom development studios, IT outsourcing vendors, and shared-service operations that serve clients across the EU, the UK, and North America.
Its remit is broad. The association handles regulatory advocacy, talent-development programmes, international promotion, and member legal support. It also tracks industry data, publishing the annual “Do IT Like Ukraine” report that sizes the sector by exports, headcount, and specialism.
In practical terms, the association acts as the bridge between Ukrainian tech employers and the state. It pushed for the Diia.City legal regime, a tax-and-labour framework purpose-built for IT firms, and continues to shape policy on labour mobility, taxation, and wartime operations.
How it works
The association is funded by member dues and structured around four working directions: government relations (GR), public relations and communications, education and corporate social responsibility (CSR), and international cooperation. A board elected by members sets the strategic agenda, while permanent staff run day-to-day programmes from offices in Kyiv and the Western Ukrainian representative office, launched in June 2022, covering Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zakarpattia, and Ternopil.
Members pay a tiered subscription based on company headcount and revenue. In return they get access to legal services, government-affairs briefings, hiring-platform discounts, and invitations to closed-door policy roundtables. The association also runs Є-Support, Bron’ (military reservation support for critical IT staff), and the Relocate platform for displaced engineers.
The sector it represents matters at the national level. Ukrainian IT services exports reached roughly $7.4 billion in 2023 according to the National Bank of Ukraine, making technology one of the country’s largest foreign-currency earners through the war years.
| Programme | Function | Member benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Diia.City legal support | Helps firms enrol in the special IT tax regime | Reduced tax burden, simplified contracts |
| Bron’ reservation | Military deferment paperwork for key engineers | Retain critical staff during mobilisation |
| Є-Support | Direct hotline for wartime operational issues | Faster response on power, logistics, and grant access |
| Relocate platform | Curates 18+ host cities for relocating staff | Continuity for cross-border delivery teams |
Examples
Major Ukrainian IT employers sit inside the association’s membership roll. EPAM Ukraine, the local arm of Nasdaq-listed EPAM Systems, has historically been one of the largest tech employers in the country with thousands of engineers serving global clients. SoftServe, founded in Lviv in 1993, runs delivery centres across Ukraine and Poland and works with Fortune 500 buyers in cloud, data, and embedded systems, a stack the association regularly cites when pitching Ukraine to EU buyers.
Sigma Software Group and Intellias are two more long-standing members, both publishing engineering teams in the multi-thousands and operating European delivery hubs. Ciklum, headquartered in London with deep Ukrainian roots, rounds out the cohort of association-affiliated employers that anchor the country’s reputation as a nearshore software base, often profiled alongside the Lviv IT Cluster regional grouping.
The association also convenes smaller product firms and game studios, including names that have appeared in its annual reports such as MacPaw and GitLab’s Ukraine-based engineering presence, under the same advocacy umbrella.
Related terms
- Information technology outsourcing (ITO): the broader service category Ukrainian firms compete in.
- Nearshoring: the delivery model that defines Ukraine’s appeal to EU and UK buyers.
- Offshoring: the alternative model for US clients sourcing from Ukraine.
- Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO): adjacent category covering analytics and R&D work.
- Foreign direct investment (FDI): the inflows that scaled Ukraine’s tech delivery footprint.
- Business process outsourcing (BPO): the wider sector adjacent to Ukraine’s IT exports.
- Talent acquisition: the engine behind the association’s lobbying for skilled-worker policy.
FAQ
What does the IT Ukraine Association do?
It represents Ukrainian IT companies in dealings with government, foreign investors, and the public. The association lobbies for favourable tax and labour rules, runs legal-support programmes for members, and markets Ukraine as a nearshore software destination.
How many members does the IT Ukraine Association have?
The association represents more than 80,000 IT professionals through its corporate members, according to its published materials. Membership covers software product firms, outsourcing vendors, and global shared-service centres operating in Ukraine.
Is the IT Ukraine Association the same as Diia.City?
No. Diia.City is a special legal and tax regime created by the Ukrainian state for IT companies. The association advocated for its design and helps members enrol, but the two are separate entities: one is a state programme, the other a private trade body.
When was the IT Ukraine Association founded?
The association was founded in 2004 and has grown alongside the country’s IT export sector. Its scope expanded sharply after 2014 and again after February 2022, when wartime continuity and talent retention became central to its mandate.
Who can join the IT Ukraine Association?
Membership is open to legally registered Ukrainian IT companies — product firms, service vendors, and captive delivery centres — that meet the association’s vetting criteria. Applicants submit company documentation and pay a tiered subscription based on size.
How does the association support members during the war?
It runs the Bron’ military-reservation programme for critical engineers, the Relocate platform for staff continuity abroad, and the Є-Support hotline for operational disruptions. It also escalates power, banking, and grant issues directly to the relevant ministries.
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