The hackathon took place in early April at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. It was organized by the Heat Energy Cluster of Ukraine in cooperation with the Department of Thermal and Alternative Energy of the Educational and Research Institute of Nuclear and Thermal Energy. Its primary objective was to foster collaboration among students, researchers, industry representatives, and local communities in developing solutions that will help Ukraine maintain reliable heat supply even under crisis conditions.
HeatTech Hackathon 2026 brought together more than 200 participants, including students, representatives of industry, government institutions, and local communities. The event featured 20 teams, including participants from other universities: National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute", Lviv Polytechnic National University, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kryvyi Rih National University, Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University, and National University "Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic".
The opening ceremony took place in the Hall of the Academic Council of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, which also hosted the panel discussions. Teamwork sessions, project presentations, and the awards ceremony were held in the Clust Space smart shelter. Welcoming remarks were delivered by Anatolii Melnychenko, Rector of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute; Anatolii Korzh, President of the Heat Energy Cluster of Ukraine; and Arsentii Liashenko, Director of Profinstall.
The first day of the hackathon featured three panel discussions. The first focused on strategic issues related to heat supply for cities and local communities. The speakers included Vitalii Surai, Director of the Department of Utility Systems at the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine; Anatolii Korzh, Director of the Ardenz Brovary Boiler Equipment Plant and President of the Heat Energy Cluster of Ukraine; Yurii Fomichev, Mayor of Slavutych; Ruslan Ovcharenko, Director of the Department for Regulation of Relations in the Heat Supply Sector at the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission of Ukraine (NEURC); and Oleksandr Sihal, Head of the Laboratory of Thermophysical Processes in Boilers at the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and Director of the Institute of Industrial Ecology. The discussion was moderated by Olha Babii, Advisor to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. Bringing together representatives of профиль ministries, researchers, regulators, and local government leaders, the panel provided a comprehensive perspective on the challenges of decentralizing and modernizing Ukraine's district heating systems.
The second panel discussion, titled "Mechanisms for Cooperation Between Government, Academia, and Business in Ukraine's Recovery," featured Andrii Zhupanyn, Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy, Housing, and Utilities; Dmytro Novosad, owner of EUROTEHENERGO; and Serhii Stirenko, Vice-Rector for Research at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. The discussion was moderated by Andrii Hevko, Vice President of the Heat Energy Cluster of Ukraine. The panel once again demonstrated that Ukraine's recovery requires an effective ecosystem in which government, academia, and business do not merely implement isolated initiatives within their respective spheres, but work together systematically as strategic partners.
The third panel discussion focused on workforce development and strengthening cooperation between industry and higher education institutions. The speakers included Olena Kolesnikova, Chair of the Sustainable Development Committee of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine; Olha Nahorniuk, Educational Programs Manager at Ajax Systems; Iryna Shyta, Head of the Academy and Personnel Development Department at Viessmann Climate Solutions; Tetiana Zheliaskova, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute; Volodymyr Patis, President of the Ukrainian Furniture Association and Co-founder of Eskada-M; Iryna Krasovska, Head of the Expert Group on the Development of Science-Driven Innovation at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine; and Anatolii Korzh. The discussion was moderated by Kateryna Shapoval, Head of the Business Editorial Office at LIGA.net.
According to the panel participants, the labor market has changed significantly. Whereas students once began looking for jobs only after completing their university studies, today most of them enter the workforce as early as their second year. For businesses, it has become increasingly important not only to strengthen brand recognition but also to identify and engage future employees while they are still studying at university.
Alongside the panel discussions, students and mentors worked on district heating projects. In total, 109 participants from cities across Ukraine - including Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Kharkiv, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, and Cherkasy - formed 20 teams to develop innovative solutions.
The teams were mentored by experts from academia and industry, including Anatolii Korzh; Dmytro Khrobok, Director of Krieger Boiler Plant LLC; Dmytro Yevtieiev, owner of Ace Ukraine; Viktor Trembovelskyi, Deputy Director, Viessmann Climate Solutions, Climate Solutions Europe; Arsentii Liashenko, owner and CEO of ProfInstall; Vira Piskun, Lead Engineer at ProfInstall; Oleh Bezhyk, Head of the Project Department at ProfInstall; Nataliia Prytula, Associate Professor at the Department of Thermal and Alternative Energy; Volodymyr Voloshchuk, Head of the Department of Energy Processes Automation; Andrii Borysenko, Professor at the Department of Energy Processes Automation and Deputy Director of Energomanagement LLC; Oleksandr Stepanets, Associate Professor at the Department of Energy Processes Automation; Olena Shevchenko, Director of the Energy Decarbonization Center at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute; Svitlana Podoliak, Associate Professor at the Department of Law; Vitalii Peshko, Head of the Department of Thermal and Alternative Energy; and Dmytro Ryndiuk, PhD in Engineering, Associate Professor at the Department of Thermal and Alternative Energy.
The student teams presented their projects on the second day of the hackathon.
The jury included Pavlo Kozyrev, Chair of the Association of Small Cities of Ukraine; Oleksandr Kharchenko, Director of the Energy Research Center; Vitalii Peshko, Head of the Department of Thermal and Alternative Energy at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute; Yevhen Antypov, Head of the Department of Power Systems Engineering at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine; Viktor Kuidych, owner of Kuidych Technology; and Oleh Kalmykov, Chairman of the BUILDIT Ukraine Public Union and Associate Professor at the Department of Building Structures at the O. M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv.
The winners of the hackathon were:
First Place – Edelweiss (Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute) for a project on district heating system diagnostics based on a network of sensors, edge computing, and machine learning–based real-time anomaly detection.
Second Place – a team from the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine for a project proposing the transformation of abandoned industrial sites into high-performance energy clusters.
Third Place – Chaos Creator (National University "Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic") for a district heating project based on the use of small modular reactors (SMRs).
During the All-Ukrainian HeatTech Hackathon, student teams worked on projects to modernize heat supply systems, decentralize power generation, and protect critical infrastructure amid shelling and blackouts.
The event format brought together:
📌 20 teams from Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, Lviv, and Kryvyi Rih;
📌 panel discussions with representatives from government, academia, and business;
📌 two days of work with mentors on concepts ranging from small nuclear reactors to digital infrastructure monitoring systems.🥇First place in the HeatTech Hackathon was won by the “Edelweiss” team from Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI). The participants presented a method for diagnosing heating systems based on neural networks.
Members of the winning team:Maksym Sokolnitsky, captain, Faculty of Software Systems and Applied Mathematics (FSSAM)
Valeria Baranivska, FPSPM
Ilya Bondar, FPSPM
Andriy Bilich, FPSPM
Ruslana Bondar, Faculty of Electronics (FEL)
Yegor Matiash, Kyiv School of Economics🤝 General partners:
Ardenz, Eurotechenergo, Viessmann
✅ Partners: KNT, Pascal, Ukravtonomgaz, Tenko, SKM Logistics
🎁 Partners who provided gifts: BUILDIT Ukraine, CONTECH, Mario, Teplobak, Termodzhet, Ukrinterm, Profinstall, Khors, Hajster, snEco, Dika Voda Zakarpattia✍️ Organizers — Educational and Scientific Institute of Nuclear and Thermal Power Engineering (IATE Institute) of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the Thermal Power Cluster of Ukraine
Watch the video to see how young engineers sought answers to energy challenges