Rector of Uzhhorod National University Volodymyr Smolanka took part in the All-Ukrainian Forum "Ukraine 30. Education and Science"

The All-Ukrainian Forum “Ukraine 30. Education and Science” was held in Kyiv on May 31 - June 2, 2021. Its task was to discuss a number of important issues, including global trends in education and science, the place of Ukrainian education and science in the world, innovations in education and science, creating conditions and opportunities for obtaining education in the field of new technologies, digitalization of education and science, development of science and research in higher education, government support and encouragement of young scientists.

The forum "Ukraine 30. Education and Science" was opened by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. Representatives of the Office of the President, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Verkhovna Rada, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, university rectors, young scientists, innovators, representatives of the educational and expert community, public figures, representatives of the real sector of the economy took part in the discussion sessions.

 The Rector of Uzhhorod National University Professor Volodymyr Smolanka took part in the discussion session "Modern University as a platform for research". Among the speakers at the session were the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine for European Integration Andriy Vitrenko, the Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Higher Education of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation Yulia Hryshyna, Vice-Rector for Research of the National Technical University of Ukraine “Ihor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” Vitaliy Pasichnyk and a Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Director of Kyiv Academic University Oleksandr Kordyuk. Roger B Myerson, the winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Economics joined the session online.

 Volodymyr Smolanka's presentation concerned the implementation of students’ developments in the real sector of the economy. The Rector demonstrated the list of companies that have changed and keep changing our lives, including Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Reddit, Wordpress, Time, etc. "A lot of people in the world know the names of the founders of these reputable companies. However, very few people know that these are all student projects. They were created in a student environment, most projects were created by small groups of students, who were often classmates. Therefore, in order to implement the idea, you should have a small group of inquisitive students who have certain knowledge and are motivated. Based on this, they can study the needs of the market and form a certain idea. It is in universities that the atmosphere is created when a young person can get interested, get motivated to do research. There is a principle at Uzhhorod National University - we will bring up a good student only when he or she starts doing science from the first year."

The Rector of UzhNU emphasized that in recent years the university has been actively focusing on the purchase of equipment, investing in scientific resources that can be used by the students for the implementation of their research projects. Volodymyr Smolanka also noted that Uzhhorod National University had a Startup Center, which identified the best student projects and provided them with significant financial support. In recent years, Uzhhorod National University had 25 winners in the competition of startups, their projects related to various spheres of life - from medical projects to startups in the food sector.

 Volodymyr Smolanka acquainted the audience with several projects developed by UzhNU students. These include the system of remote monitoring with elements of augmented reality designed for SES; QRWaiter, the project that allows you to order a certain dish in a restaurant or café easily and quickly; as well as an upgraded version of QR-Delivery, which allows you to order online effectively. This project is already being implemented in Uzhhorod, Lviv, Kyiv, and soon will be implemented in Dnipro and Mykolayiv. The Rector also dwelt on the startup, which concerned the creation of ecological products from biomaterials of plant origin. "These are only some of the projects that have been developed at Uzhhorod National University, but with the support of the university environment, the government, and the availability of national and international grant programmes, student projects can be successfully implemented in the real sector of the economy," emphasized Volodymyr Smolanka.

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