DNU is a co-founder of the Eastern Partnership University Cluster

On October 19, rectors of the Eastern Partnership University Cluster (EULER) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Prague. At the solemn ceremony Oles Honchar Dnipro National University was distantly represented by rector Sergiy Okovytyy.

The Eastern Partnership University Cluster (EULER) is a community of 12 cooperating universities from the EU and associated countries of the Eastern Partnership: the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. So, among the participants of the unique cluster are: Charles University; Heidelberg and Cologne universities; Etwesh Lorand University; University of Warsaw; University of Milan; Moldova State University; Ivan Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. Our country at EULER is represented by four institutions from different regions: Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University, Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, Ivan Franko Lviv National University and Uzhhorod National University.

Rector Sergiy Okovytyy spoke to his European colleagues about the importance and relevance of joining the EULER for Oles Honchar Dnipro National University. Firstly, professor Okovytyy thanked Charles University, the governments and citizens of European countries for the support they provide to Ukraine, its people and army during all long months of war, and focused on the prospects of such a broad partnership:

– I am grateful to Czech people, Czech Government, Charles University and Rector Professor Milena Králíčková for the support that you are providing to people of Ukraine for all these long months of the war.

Nowadays it is a great honour for us to cooperate with such well-known and esteemed Universities. Our Dnipro National University is a unique classical university, because in addition to the humanities, natural sciences and engineering, we have a strong rocketry division that is important for our future. Therefore, DNU is traditionally attractive to European partners. Currently, we concluded 95 bilateral agreements on cooperation with partner universities from Europe, Asia and America.

Our current integration into the Eastern Partnership University Cluster creates a promising new collaboration for sustainable progress in many areas of education and research.

Firstly, it is science. Having powerful scientific potentials, Ukrainian universities, under heavy burden of horrible war, are limited in funds for research. Some of them lost their buildings, laboratories and equipment. For that reason, the establishment of inter-university research teams to solve complex scientific problems is an urgent need for Ukrainian scientist. In such a way, we can stay in Science and make a contribution to development of Europe.

In particular, for our Dnipro University the first priority is to set such tasks and to obtain such results that allow Consortium members fundraising and improving research through European Union and world programmes, like the Horizon Europe, COST and others. The Horizon Europe, for instance, is very close to our activity because DNU focuses on solving multipart problems of a powerful industrial region.

We work on the problems of the global challenges, such as space technologies, climate change, energy-saving technologies, new materials, smart cities, soil rehabilitation, water problems and aquatic ecosystems (by the way, Dnipro River has the third largest basin in Europe). Russian criminal invasion has resulted the large-scale ruin of industry, agriculture, and energy sector, as well as the destruction of water bodies and forests, ecosystems of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, and entire demolition of cities. That is why we need to mobilize all scientific potential today to offer the most effective solutions just after the Victory. So, we are convinced that our Consortium will be equally useful to both EU partners and post-war Ukraine.

Another important area of cooperation within the Eastern Partnership University Cluster is the development of joint initiatives in higher education. Here we focus on internationalisation, quality assurance as well as innovation and start-ups, case studies and the needs of the global and local economy. To significantly improve higher education, we aim to intensify mobility projects, capacity building, virtual exchanges, double degrees for bachelor, master and PhD students through Erasmus+ programmes and utilization of funds. Dnipro National University offers courses in English for your students; in turn, we hope that your leading academics could teach our students. At present, there are double degree programmes with Pedagogical University of Kraków (Poland), Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and Le Mans University (France) are successfully working in physics, information technologies and economics..

Also we have a long-term experience in the PhD dual supervision by professors from DNU and partner universities from Europe and America, such as Jackson State University (USA) in Chemistry, and University of Clermont Auvergne (France) in Mathematics, – said rector Sergiy Okovytyy.

Інформаційно-аналітичне агентство
Дніпровського національного університету