This spring, Igor Sikorsky Polytechnic Institute hosted the All-Ukrainian Competition for Students and Young Researchers with International Participation, Youth Intelligence: Sustainable Natural Resource Management and Advanced Energy-Efficient Technologies. The event was held under the motto "Dream, Create, Grow!" The competition was organized by the Department of Automation of Electrical and Mechatronic Complexes of the Institute of Energy Saving and Energy Management, in cooperation with the Scientific and Technical Society of Chemmotologists NGO, under the patronage of the German-Ukrainian University Network ConnectED and in partnership with the Kyiv Junior Academy of Sciences.
ConnectED is an innovative academic initiative that brings together Ukrainian and German higher education institutions within a shared digital and educational network. The initiative supports the recovery and development of Ukraine's higher education system by providing a platform for collaborative learning, teaching, and academic exchange.
The event was held as a live online broadcast in full compliance with safety requirements. In an interview with Kyiv Polytechnic, Serhii Boichenko, Head of the Department of Automation of Electrical and Mechatronic Complexes, emphasized that "despite the challenging times our country and the entire academic community are going through, we successfully held this event for the sixth time, providing an opportunity to discuss the scientific and creative achievements of young researchers, including students from the Kyiv Junior Academy of Sciences, university students, doctoral candidates, and early-career researchers from higher education institutions in Ukraine, China, Canada, and Poland. This clearly demonstrates the strong potential of this youth initiative and the future development of Ukrainian education, science, and the national economy as a whole. More than 30 representatives of educational institutions took part in the competition this year, including participants from Poltava, Odesa, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Toronto (Canada), Nantong (China), Rzeszów (Poland)and Košice (Slovakia). This year's competition was dedicated to Science Day, celebrated in Ukraine on May 16."
– What would you say was the highlight of this year's competition?
– First of all, we were pleased to see the number of sponsors increase, both from Ukraine and abroad. As I mentioned, the competition was organized by the Department of Automation of Electrical and Mechatronic Complexes of the Institute of Energy Saving and Energy Management, together with the Scientific and Technical Society of Chemmotologists NGO, under the patronage of the German-Ukrainian University Network ConnectED. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of our partners and sponsors, including DeLaMark, a manufacturer of household chemicals and personal care products; VectorVS, a commercial engineering company; Schneider Electric Ukraine; and H2U, a company dedicated to advancing green hydrogen technologies in Ukraine. The list of supporters also includes the International Academy S.P.E.K.T.R. (Slovenia), the Kyiv Junior Academy of Sciences, and Egis Ertle Engineering, an international company specializing in the design of industrial, commercial, and infrastructure facilities. Together, we are contributing to an important shared mission—investing in the future of Ukraine.
And now, about this year's highlights. During the discussion on participant awards, representatives of the German-Ukrainian University Network ConnectED proposed a unique opportunity: three fully funded places to be awarded by lottery among the competition finalists. The selected participants will have the opportunity to take part in networking and dialogue sessions, the MARISCO training seminar on institutional development and international cooperation, as well as events focused on research collaboration and partnership building at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (Germany) in October 2026. All expenses, including travel, accommodation, and meals, will be covered by the organizers of the ConnectED project.
– Who won the drawing for the three fully funded study visits? Which participants from the Junior Academy of Sciences were recognized by the competition jury?
– Among the recipients were several representatives of Igor Sikorsky Polytechnic Institute. Andrii Parashchynets, a fourth-year student in the Department of Power Supply at the Institute of Energy Saving and Energy Management, received a Third Prize in the Energy-Efficient Technologies, Electromechatronic Systems, and Green Energy category. His academic supervisor was Yuliia Peretiatko, Associate Professor in the Department of Theoretical Electric Engineering at Igor Sikorsky Polytechnic Institute. Another awardee was Dmytro Siabruk, a second-year student in the Department of Automation of Electrical and Mechatronic Complexes at the Institute of Energy Saving and Energy Management. He also received a Third Prize in the Energy-Efficient Technologies, Electromechatronic Systems, and Green Energy category under the supervision of Serhii Boichenko. Vitalii Korovushkin, a doctoral candidate in the same department, was awarded a Second Prize in the Energy-Efficient Technologies, Electromechatronic Systems, and Green Energy category. His research supervisor was Alla Bosak. Another prizewinner from Igor Sikorsky Polytechnic Institute was Artem Nikolaichuk
, a master's student in the Department of Geoengineering, who received a Third Prize in the Contemporary Challenges in Mining and Construction category under the supervision of Professor Hennadii Haiko.
It is also encouraging to note that the competition's prizewinners included young researchers from the Kyiv Junior Academy of Sciences. Among them were Heorhii Aliushyn and Tymofii Karpenko. The two youngest participants conducted their research under the supervision of Igor Sikorsky Polytechnic Institute faculty members: Antonina Bondarieva from the Department of Chemical Technology of Ceramics and Glass, Faculty of Chemical Technology, and Mykhailo Byk from the Department of Electrochemical Production Technologies, Faculty of Chemical Technology.