Dragon Capital, as part of its corporate social responsibility program focused on development of education in Ukraine, has acquired a 4,441 sq. m. office building in Kyiv, located at 3 Mykola Shpak Street, for Kyiv School of Economics (KSE).
"We have been supporting KSE for many years and appreciate its rapid development. This year, we decided to substantially increase our support and acquire a separate building for the School. We are investing a significant amount, more than $5million, in the purchase and reconstruction, and we expect a significant positive effect for Ukraine as a result.
“We are confident that Kyiv School of Economics provides the best economic education in Ukraine that is on a par with leading global universities. And this is at a time when our country critically needs the right economic change that is impossible to achieve without professional economists. We hope that the new building will help KSE raise the bar even higher, increase the number of its students and become an important educational and economic analytical center in Ukraine," said Tomas Fiala, CEO of Dragon Capital.
The reconstruction plan calls for creating a unique infrastructure including modern lecture halls, a lounge for students, areas for group work, as well as a conference hall. KSE plans to simultaneously train more than 600 students in the new building, as well as bring together civil society leaders and philanthropists at its social and economic events.
After the reconstruction and adaptation of the premises, Dragon Capital will transfer the six-story building to KSE for long-term use. There will be a bachelor's degree section, a department of economic and political research, and eight Master's programs including MBA courses. The building will also house the Center for Economic Strategy and VOX Ukraine.
“Kyiv School of Economics highly appreciates Dragon Capital’s support and the generous contribution to the development of the country's intellectual potential. The School has not had a home for 25 years, and now, thanks to Dragon Capital, we will be able to give our students a sense of true alma mater and create a platform for the development of economic thought in the country.
This is the first example of such a charitable act in Ukraine when following the example of leading Western universities, the building of a higher education institution will be named after its investor”, said Tymofiy Mylovanov, President of Kyiv School of Economics.
It is expected that Kyiv School of Economics will welcome its first students in the new building in September and completely relocate there in early 2021.
