Professional Integration HUB enters a new chapter: Applications open for an entrepreneurship program for Ukrainian women in Austria
9 July 2026
Applications are open from July 10 to August 16, 2026. Vienna, Austria, July 10, 2026 – ERSTE Foundation, in partnership with the European Centre for Freedom… Read more
Program
The Professional Integration HUB is an initiative for Ukrainian women who came to Austria from 2022 onward as a result of russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Its mission is to support their professional integration into the European environment — and, through that, to strengthen the human capital that will contribute to Ukraine's post-war reconstruction and its path into the European Union.
Since 2024, the HUB has grown into a strong professional community. Across three rounds it has supported 43 Ukrainian women professionals, engaged 27 leading Austrian institutions as partners, and helped more than 30% of participants secure offers to continue their professional cooperation in Austria.
Today the HUB develops along two complementary pathways:
- Internships (HUB 1.0–3.0) — three-month placements in leading Austrian institutions and organisations, giving participants direct, hands-on experience of the European professional environment.
- Entrepreneurship (HUB 4.0) — a new programme that supports Ukrainian women in turning their own economic and social ideas into viable projects and businesses in Austria.
Both pathways share the same goal: to help Ukrainian women professionals realise their potential, build sustainable prospects in Austria, and become active contributors — to society here and to the future of Ukraine. Throughout, the HUB provides comprehensive organisational support, expert guidance and a community that grows with every round.
A growing community
The HUB is more than a programme — it is a lasting community. Graduates of every round stay connected and continue to support one another well beyond their participation. To keep this community active, the HUB hosts regular activities throughout the year: networking meetings, expert talks and workshops, and alumni events that bring participants from different rounds together. These activities help members expand their professional networks, share experience and opportunities, maintain ties to Ukraine and its future, and grow — both professionally and personally — as part of a community that supports every step of their journey in Austria.
Entrepreneurship
Professional Integration HUB 4.0 is a programme for Ukrainian women in Austria who want to shape their future through their own ideas. Whether you are exploring self-employment, building an innovative product, or developing a social initiative, the HUB helps you turn your idea into a concrete, viable project.
Even five years into russia’s war against Ukraine, many Ukrainian women who came to Austria are ready not only to find their place professionally, but to create something of their own. Austria offers wide opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation — yet legal frameworks, financing, market knowledge and professional networks can be hard to navigate alone. That is exactly where HUB 4.0 comes in: with practical training, individual coaching and a strong community.
Who it’s for
The programme is for motivated Ukrainian women (18+) who came to Austria from 2022 onward because of the war and who:
- want to realise their own economic or social idea,
- are interested in self-employment, innovation or social entrepreneurship,
- want to develop or refine an existing project,
- wish to strengthen their knowledge of entrepreneurship, financing and marketing,
- want to become part of an inspiring network and the Austrian entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Your idea doesn’t need to be fully formed — what matters most is motivation, openness and the will to make it happen.
What you’ll learn
- Developing and refining your idea
- Business model and project development
- Financing and resource planning
- Basics of law, taxation and administration in Austria
- Marketing, communication and customer acquisition
- Pitching and presenting ideas
- Individual coaching and peer learning
- Exchange with experts and entrepreneurs
How it works
HUB 4.0 combines learning, practical implementation and individual coaching — through workshops, group work, hands-on exercises, coaching sessions, and exchange with founders and experts. It blends in-person and online formats.
The programme is built as a modular system: each module focuses on a key step of the entrepreneurial journey — from shaping your idea to financing, marketing and pitching — so you progress stage by stage and can immediately apply what you learn to your own project.
Sessions are scheduled on weekends or in the late afternoon/evening, making the programme easy to combine with work, studies or family commitments.
The programme runs from October 2026 to February 2027. It begins with an opening event in October, followed by several months of modular study and individual coaching, and concludes with a public Demo Day in February 2027, where participants present their ideas to an audience of experts, partners and the wider community.
What you gain
By the end of the programme, participants will have:
- a developed business or project concept,
- a financial and implementation plan,
- a public pitch delivered before an audience,
- access to a professional alumni network and to key players in Austria’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, including the Vienna Business Agency, Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws) and Gründerservice Wien.
How to apply
The programme enrols 25 participants. Applications are open from 10 July to 16 August 2026. To apply, complete the online application form on professionalhub.at.
All applications are reviewed by a selection panel of experts from EUCFI, ERSTE Foundation and IFTE. The process may also include a short online interview with shortlisted candidates.
Key facts
- Duration
- October 2026 – February 2027
- Applications
- 10 July – 16 August 2026
- Format
- in-person + online
- For
- Ukrainian women in Austria, 18+, who arrived from 2022 because of the war
- Funded by
- ERSTE Foundation, implemented by EUCFI, curriculum by IFTE #Entrepreneurship4Youth
- Finale
- public Demo Day, 11 February 2027
Course structure
ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK
32 UNITS
DEEP DIVE
28 UNITS
COACHING
24 UNITS
PROGRAMME TIMELINE
- 10/07/26–16/08/26 Applications open
- 08–09/26 Selection and shortlist interviews
- 10/26 Opening event
- 10/26–02/27 Modular study and individual coaching
- 11/02/27 Public Demo Day
PROFESSIONAL INTEGRATION HUB IN NUMBERS
- 25 places in HUB 4.0 (Entrepreneurship)
- 43 Ukrainian women professionals supported since 2024
- 27 leading Austrian institutions engaged as partners
- 30%+ received offers to continue their cooperation in Austria
- 3 programme rounds completed (HUB 1.0–3.0)
- 1 public Demo Day (February 2027)
Internships
From 2023 to 2025, the Professional Integration HUB ran as an internship programme for Ukrainian women who came to Austria as a result of russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Its goal was to advance their careers by integrating them into the European professional environment — and, through that experience, to build human capital for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and its path into the EU.
The core of the programme was a three-month internship in a relevant position at a leading Austrian institution or organisation, with comprehensive organisational support from the HUB. Internships were full- or part-time and paid. Alongside the placements, the programme offered study visits, workshops and webinars, and regular community-building events and courses of German in different formats.
Across three rounds, the HUB supported 43 Ukrainian women professionals, engaged 27 leading Austrian institutions and organisations as internship hosts, and saw more than 30% of participants receive offers to continue their professional cooperation in Austria after completing their internships.
The three rounds
- HUB 1.0 (2024) the first cohort, 13 Ukrainian women
- HUB 2.0 (2024–2025) the programme scaled to 20 participants
- HUB 3.0 (2025) 10 participants completed paid internships
Host partners (2024–2025)
Federal ministries
- Federal Ministry of the Republic of Austria for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport
- Federal Ministry of the Republic of Austria for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure
- Federal Ministry of the Republic of Austria for Labour and Economy
- Federal Ministry of the Republic of Austria for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection
- Federal Ministry of the Republic of Austria for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology
- Federal Ministry of the Republic of Austria for Education, Science and Research
Public agencies and institutions
- Austrian Energy Agency
- OeAD – Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalisation
- KDZ – Centre for Public Administration Research
- Austrian Integration Fund (Österreichischer Integrationsfonds, ÖIF)
- Austrian National Tourist Office (Österreich Werbung)
- City of Linz – Atelierhaus Salzamt
- WIENXTRA
Academia
- Vienna University of Economics and Business (Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien) — NGO Academy and Institute for Social Policy
Culture and the arts
- Belvedere Museum
- MuseumsQuartier Wien
- Salzburger Kunstverein
- Viennacontemporary
- Josephinum – Medical Collections
- C/O Vienna Magazine
- Office Ukraine (Vienna and Graz)
Civil society, research and business
- ERSTE Foundation
- Caritas Austria
- Impact Hub Vienna
- L&R Social Research
- European Forum Alpbach
- Schenker Salvi Weber Architekten
into the European professional community
in top institutions and organizations of the EU
for qualified work, career, and professional growth
Partners
The Professional Integration HUB program is initiated and funded by ERSTE Foundation. The project is implemented by the European Centre for Freedom and Independence (EUCFI). The HUB 4.0 entrepreneurship curriculum is delivered by IFTE #Entrepreneurship4Youth, which empowers people to develop entrepreneurial skills and innovative thinking through hands-on learning that encourages creativity, leadership and problem-solving.
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ERSTE Foundation is a philanthropic foundation and focuses its activities on Financial Health as well as strengthening democratic values and principles. As core shareholder of Erste Group, it safeguards the independence of one of the biggest banking groups in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. ERSTE Foundation invests its share of the profits in the common good.
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The European Centre for Freedom and Independence is an Austrian public organization founded by Ukrainians after the start of the full-scale invasion in Ukraine. The mission of EUCFI is to promote the united Europe, support the reconstruction of Ukraine, and its integration into the EU.
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IFTE #Entrepreneurship4Youth empowers people to develop entrepreneurial skills and innovative thinking. The programme encourages creativity, leadership and problem-solving through hands-on learning experiences.
Feedback
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