Project results (May 2024 - May 2025)

On 9 May 2024, it was the final of the exciting Energy Youth Hackathon. The event brought together creative young students from the Institute of Energy and Control Systems, the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Institute of Computer Science and Information Technology. A total of 46 participants and 6 team mentors took part in the Hackathon.

During the event, participants were divided into teams, each working on their own project using modern technologies and innovative approaches in the energy field. The event organisers and mentors helped the teams prepare interesting projects.

"Energy Youth" covered a wide range of topics, including: renewable energy sources, development of new technologies and methods for collecting and using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy, development of tools and strategies to reduce energy consumption in industry, households and public buildings, smart cities using the IoT, artificial intelligence and other technologies to create smart cities and energy efficient management systems.

The Hackathon participants presented their innovative solutions and perspectives in the final with amazing presentations that were marked by creativity, depth of analysis and practical application. In the final, 7 teams were competing for the victory with presentations of their projects, namely:

• "New solutions to boost the electric car market in Ukraine"
• "Smart city"
• "Weponisation of energy resources"
• "Use of hydrogen batteries for wheelchairs"
• "Smart Grid"
• "Energy consumption monitoring system to improve energy efficiency in educational establishments"
• "Application of small wind turbines for lighting highways"

From ideas for raising awareness of energy efficiency to the introduction of innovative technologies, each team contributed to the development of the energy sector. The Energy Youth hackathon ended with the selection of the best projects and the awarding of the winners.

First place - the team of the Nuclear Energy group and the project "Use of hydrogen batteries for wheelchairs"

II place - the team of the International Relations group and the project "Weponisation of energy resources" 

The third place was shared by two teams - the Automation and Computer-Integrated Technologies speciality with the project "Energy Monitoring System for Improving Energy Efficiency in Educational Institutions" and the Computational Intelligence speciality with the Smart City project.

The event demonstrated that connecting young minds and innovative approaches can change the world for the better.

The Energy Youth Hackathon was held as part of the European Studies for Technical Specialities at Lviv Polytechnic National University (EUSTS) project with the support of the EU Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Programme.

More information about EUSTS can be found on the project website within the Lviv Polytechnic Portal.

On May 15, 2024, within the framework of the European Studies for Technical Specialties at Lviv Polytechnic National University (EUSTS) project with the support of the EU Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Program, an interactive event "Dissemination of Best Practices in Teaching European Studies and Creation of Interdisciplinary Programs in Higher Education Institutions of Ukraine: Exchange of Experience" was held online. The event, organized by the team of the European Studies for Technical Universities at Lviv Polytechnic National University together with the professors of the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, was held under the slogan "Courage to Teach" by Kharkiv colleagues who demonstrate high professionalism in the development of international cooperation, research and education in extremely difficult conditions. The head of the Jean Monnet Chair "In-depth Study of EU Law and Values: Ukrainian Context" at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, the head of the Department of European Union Law, Doctor of Law, Professor Tetiana Komarova, noted that "European integration is not only about the economy, but also about European values". This is extremely important for frontline Kharkiv, because "30 km to the border where civilization ends, it is important to talk about European values." The speaker focused on the presentation of the experience of the Jean Monnet Chair "In-depth Study of EU Law and Values: Ukrainian Context" at the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, shared best practices of engaging leading European lecturers in projects, who once directly developed European integration plans for EU candidate countries. Kharkiv students had the opportunity to communicate with Professor G. Munoz of Ghent University, Professor A. Bodnar of Warsaw University, Professor L. Grzejzak of Lodz University, Professor L. Jakulevičienė of Mykola Romenis University, and others, which was made possible by many years of professional connections. The information about the establishment of the EU Law Club, conducting training schools, focus groups of which are not only students, but also teachers, judges, lawyers, journalists, etc. aroused great interest. At the end of Prof. Komarova's speech, a lively discussion took place, as Lviv colleagues were interested in ways to engage young people in European studies, how the university develops knowledge of EU trade law, and what EU-related courses are taught by the department. It turned out that these are almost 25 educational components that serve as a solid core for the development of knowledge about the EU and Ukraine's European integration at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University. Instead, Ph, D., Associate Professor Tetiana Anakina (Associate Professor of the Department of European Union Law at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, member of the team). Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, member of the Jean Monnet Chair team "Advanced Study of EU Law and Values: Ukrainian Context", visiting lecturer at the Complutense University of Madrid) logically continued her colleague's speech, focusing on the experience of teaching EU law at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University and the historical genesis of the formation of a specialized department of EU law at the university. The speaker elaborated on the structure of the courses (compulsory and elective), such as EU Law, EU Law in Justice and Home Affairs, etc. Similarly to Lviv Polytechnic, topics on EU-Ukraine cooperation in energy, transport, environmental protection, security and defense are popular among students. Associate Professor T. Anakina shared her experience of implementing the best European educational practices in the educational process, such as organizing moot courts and more active use of interactive teaching methods.

No less interesting and rich experience was shared by the participants of the EUSTS project at Lviv Polytechnic National University in implementing European studies. Thus, prof. Yaryna Turchyn (EUSTS Project Leader, Director of the IGSS NULP) focused on the features and main stages of the development of European studies at Lviv Polytechnic National University, the results of a sociological survey, the prospects for introducing interdisciplinary educational programs on the EU and European integration of Ukraine, where she focused on the Energy Security program, which, in the opinion of the EUSTS team members, is extremely relevant and innovative in the context of European energy trends. Associate Professor Nataliia Vovk (EUSTS project participant, Associate Professor of the Department of Social Communications and Information Activities of the NULP) shared the best practices of teaching European studies to students of technical specialties, developed over the two years of the EUSTS project implementation at the NULP, which are worth disseminating to other Ukrainian universities. Associate Professor Olena Lukachuk (INNOVATION HUB mentor, EUSTS project participant, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science and International Relations of the NULP) presented the experience of project activities of NULP students, including through EU programs, as well as the specific results of such work.

The practical part of the event with the use of interactive teaching methods to form knowledge about the EU as a responsible global actor in the modern system of international relations for students of the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University (Kharkiv) was conducted by trainers in teaching methods, participants of the EUSTS project - Associate Professor Olga Ivasechko (Department of International Relations), Associate Professor Oleg Tsebenko (Department of International Relations). During the practical part, the participants used the exercise "Walking through the EU Tour Gallery", where students got acquainted with key EU institutions, senior EU officials, and various facts about the EU. They also held a Kahoot on the history of European integration, where students competed with each other in knowledge of various facts and features related to European states and the EU.

At the beginning of the event, Prof. T. Komarova noted the problem of the shortage of personnel in Ukraine in the field of European integration, which is about 2000 specialists annually. At the end of the meeting, Prof. Y. Turchyn emphasized that only through joint efforts and the implementation of interdisciplinary programs is it possible to train such specialists - European integrators in law, economics, energy, transport, environment, etc., ensuring Ukraine's diverse needs for approximation to the EU. In total, the event was attended by over 50 people - students, professors, and postgraduate students of the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University (28 people) and Lviv Polytechnic National University (27 people). The EUSTS project team expresses its gratitude to all the participants of the event - the resilient Kharkiv citizens - for interesting discussions, professional reports, exchange of best practices, and development of new ideas for the development of interdisciplinary educational programs in European Studies in Ukrainian universities.

Associate Prof. Oleksandr Markovets (Department of CID), Associate Prof. Lidia Kasha (Department of ECS), and Associate Prof. Iryna Sukhorolska (Department of PME) also joined the preparation of the event.

More information about the EUSTS project can be found here.

The winners of the Best European Practices video contest have been announced

On June 06, 2024, the team of the project “European Studies for Technical Specialties at Lviv Polytechnic National University” announced the results of an exciting video competition on “Best European Practices”, which attracted the attention of talented creative students from many specialities of Lviv Polytechnic. As part of this event, participants created videos presenting and explaining the best European practices in any field: culture, education, innovation, ecology, information technology, etc.

The competition brought together an impressive variety of ideas and creative approaches to showcasing European achievements. The videos were informative and motivated viewers to improve and implement best practices in their communities.

The winners of the competition were the teams of the following projects:

• 1st place – project “E-Heritage” (team of the group VP-21: Khrystyna Khrobak, Vlada Mishcheriakova, Roman Yakymiv, Viktoriia Krutko, Anastasiia Snihur, Olha Myshchak, Olena Ivanina);
• 2nd place:
  • project “Ukrainian Electric Car Market” (team of the group MV-24: Mykhailo Yushchenko, Oleksiy Nahirnyi, Anastasiia Shkil, Anastasiia Los, Anastasiia Gedeliuk, Maria Pikh, Sofia Rozhakh, Oksana Syvak, Yelyzaveta Romanenko);
  • project “Smart Grid as a basis for innovative transformations in the electricity market of Ukraine in the context of European integration processes” (team of the group OІ-11сп: Denys Oliynyk, Yaromyr-Oleh Kuspis, Yuriy Romanchak, Bohdan Klochko, Danylo Klishch, Natalia Vyshynska and Vitaliy Spelina)
• 3rd place:
  • project “Integration of Smart City principles and introduction of energy innovations in the process of post-war reconstruction of administrative and territorial units” (team of the group ОІ-11 сп: Pavlo-Petro Stefanyshyn, Oleksandr Polishchuk, Vitaliy Surzhykyvych, Volodymyr Havryliuk, Pavlo Kitsanyuk, Pavlo Valchevsky, Pavlo Hlyn, and Vitaliy Uhera);
  • project “Digitalization in Ukraine: Status, Trends and Prospects” (team of the group КБ-208: Roman Kubai, Andrii Petrovskyi, Oleh Plish);
  • project “Ecotourism” (student of group СТ-21 Rushchak Andriana).

The best videos are posted on the EUSTS project Facebook page. (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083517677790).

The team of the project “European Studies for Technical Specialties at Lviv Polytechnic National University” expresses its gratitude to all participants for their efforts and creativity. We congratulate the winners and all participants on their significant achievements and look forward to further cooperation in promoting the development of European practices around the world.

The second year of the project “European Studies for Technical Specialties” has been completed at the University

The second year of the “European Studies for Technical Specialties at Lviv Polytechnic National University” project has come to an end. According to the results of the spring semester of the 2023/2024 academic year, 318 students successfully completed three elective courses: "EU Environmental and Climate Sustainability", " Ukraine- EU: Digital Transformation" and "EU Energy and New Trends for Ukraine". In total, 537 students improved their knowledge of the EU and Ukraine's European integration during the academic year.

Lecture courses are filled with new and relevant information, and all practical classes are conducted in an interactive manner using various teaching methods, such as debates, gallery walks, snow globes, windshields, the Microphone method, problem circle, SCAMPER, etc.

One of the final tasks of the modules is collective projects, during which students mainly focused on researching EU initiatives and the specifics of their implementation in Ukraine, taking into account the professional specialization of their teams.

Thus, 148 students (Institute of Energy and Control Systems, Institute of Computer Science and Information Technology, Institute of Computer Engineering and Automation, Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Institute of Sustainable Development, Institute of Civil Engineering and Engineering Systems, Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences) successfully completed the module “EU Environmental and Climate Resilience”. As part of their individual projects, the teams presented research on the specifics of EU support programs, in particular on the following topics: “Ecological transport and the development of an electric and hybrid public transport system”, “Environmental pollution due to mining and ore processing in the EU”, “Green Future: How the EU helps the Eastern Partnership”, “Life - the EU's environmental and climate program”, “Development of green energy in Ukraine through the use of biofuels and biogas”, and others.

Knowledge of digital transformation and EU best practices was improved by 108 full-time students (Institute of Mechanics and Transport, Institute of Computer Technology and Automation, Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Institute of Civil Engineering and Engineering Systems, Institute of Radio Electronics, Institute of Computer Science and Information Technology, Institute of Law and Psychology) through the EU-Ukraine: Digital Transformation module. The most relevant topics for the students were the introduction of modern digital technologies in various sectors of the economy, innovative teaching methods, cybersecurity, and regulatory aspects of digital transformation in accordance with European standards. The students presented their team work on the study of the peculiarities of digital transformation in various sectors of the economy in Ukraine and the EU, in particular on the following topics: “E-voting in the EU: Challenges and Threats”, “EU's Common Technology Policy”, “EU4Digital Project”, “Digitalization of Local Government Administrative Services: EU and Ukrainian Experience”, “Relevance of the Development of Electronic Internet Services to the Student's Educational Literature”, “Digitalization as a Global Trend”, “EU Experience in Using Cloud Technologies”, etc.

62 students (Institute of Power Engineering and Control Systems, Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Institute of Computer Technologies and Automation) learned about the EU's progressive experience in energy efficiency and energy saving. The students presented a number of their research projects, which concerned both EU energy trends and the specifics of the implementation of Brussels' energy programs and initiatives in Ukraine. Among the projects submitted by the students, the following are worth highlighting: “Hydropower in Ukraine”, “Key areas of the EU's modern energy policy: problems and challenges of digitalization”, “Renewable energy development in the EU”, “Energy-saving technologies in Ukraine: challenges and solutions with the support of the European Union”, and others.

The students positively evaluated the content of the modules and the methods of teaching them, as they gained not only theoretical knowledge about the European Union but also practical skills in implementing European experience for the development and post-war recovery of Ukraine.

As a result of successful completion of the modules, each student received a certificate of learning.

In addition, students participated in seven lectures and discussions with well-known practitioners, experts, and researchers from the European Union (Ihor Panchenko, Head of Regional Digital Transformation at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine; Maksym Stoliarchuk, Head of the Digital Development Department of the Lviv Regional Military Administration; Dainius Žalimas, Dean of the Law Faculty of Vytautas Magnus University, Representative of the Republic of Lithuania to the European Commission for Democracy through Law; Andriy Ursta, energy market analyst at DiXi Group; Yevhen Magda, political scientist, Director of the Institute of World Policy, Ph, D. in Political Science, Associate Professor of the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”; Oleksandr Sukhodola, Head of the Department of Critical Infrastructure, Energy and Environmental Security of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, Doctor of Science in Public Administration, Professor; Svitlana Romanko, founder and director of “Razom We Stand”), participants of the regional business webinar “Approximation to EU standards and opportunities for Ukrainian business: experience of the Western region” (guest speaker - Serhiy Pylypiv, CEO of Grafix, Chairman of the Environment Committee of Rotary International District 2232, developer of the Green Mill compressed air windmill, trainer of the Rotary Leadership Institute), workshop “Boost your digitalization”, Academy of European Studies “Decentralization and community development: EU programs for Ukraine", winter school ‘European best practices: energy, digital and environmental dimensions’, interactive event Speaking Club ‘New European trends and professional growth’, media literacy events ‘Truth about the EU’, interactive event Eurolibrary (guest speaker - Anastasia Doroshenko, PhD in Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Automated Control Systems at the Institute of Computer Science and Technology, coordinator of a number of Jean Monnet projects at Lviv Polytechnic National University) and an excursion to Lviv Open Lab, a space for innovative education in Lviv, as part of European public tours.