Institute of Steppe Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine and Central Ukrainian National Technical University: Field Day and Presentation of ERASMUS+ program

On June 25 on the basis of the Institute of Institute of Steppe Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine a traditional Field Day took place in Sozonivka, during which the international project UniClaD of the EU program ERASMUS + was presented to the public for the first time. This project started at the beginning of 2020, universities, institutions and organizations of Lithuania, Poland, Austria, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan are the members of the project consortium. In particular, among the project participants is Central Ukrainian National Technical University and Institute of Steppe Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine.

As previously reported on the CNTU website, our HEI has become one of the participants EU ERASMUS+ project" Enhancing Capacity of Universities to Initiate and to Participate in Clusters Development on Innovation and Sustainability Principles" (UniClaD). The project will be implemented from January 2020 to January 2023.

The consortium that will implement the UniClaD project includes universities, institutions and organizations from Lithuania, Poland, Austria, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Ukraine, Moldova and Azerbaijan. In particular, among the project participants from Ukraineare Central Ukrainian National Technical University; Institute of Steppe Agriculture of NAAS of Ukraine, Poltava State Agrarian Academy; Dobro-Kraft Farm; Lviv National Agrarian University; Yavoriv National Nature Park, Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University.

The Central Ukrainian National Technical University will work on the creation of a center of expertise which will be focused on the implementation of innovative technologies in agriculture. The direct partner of CNTU is the Institute of Steppe Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine in this project.

Accordingly, to participate in the International Field Day “Scientific and innovative achievements and competitiveness of varieties of early cereals of domestic and foreign selection in conditions of the Central region of Ukraine" of ISA NAAS, which took place yesterday in Sozonovka, representatives of CNTU were invited. Among the participants of the Field Day were Vice-Rector for Scientific work, Professor Oleksandr Levchenko, Associate Professor of Department of General Agriculture, CNTU Larysa Salo; Lecturer of the Department of Economics, Management and Commercial Activity Ilona Tsarenko.

The organizers of the Field Day were the Institute of Steppe Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, the Department of Agro-Industrial Development of the Kirovohrad Regional State Administration, the Center for Scientific Support of the AIC of the Kirovohrad Region.

Director of the Institute of Agricultural Development of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Igor Semenyaka and Maria Chorna, Director of the Department of Agro-Industrial Development of the Kirovohrad Regional State Administration have opened the event. According to Ihor Semenyaka, the Steppe Institute of Agriculture and the Central Ukrainian National Technical University are partners in the Center for Scientific Support which are cooperating in the international European project.

Vice-rector of CNTU for Scientific work, Professor Alexander Levchenko told about the prospects of the EU ERASMUS + program " Enhancing Capacity of Universities to Initiate and to Participate in Clusters Development on Innovation and Sustainability Principles" (UniClaD).

It is very important for us to initiate international projects if we want to integrate into European processes. One of such projects is the ERASMUS + project UniClaD, which concerns enhancing the capacity of universities to initiate and develop clusters on the basis of innovation and sustainability. We would not be able to apply for the project without our partner, the Steppe Institute of Agriculture, - said Alexander Levchenko. - In the European sense, "clusters" are associations based on certain enterprises (industrial, agricultural), authorities, research institutions, universities. Clusters should create an organizational framework for unification around certain ideas which are necessary for development; as well as to introduce innovations (for example, in the agricultural sphere) and create conditions for the implementation of innovations.

What tasks do we face? A Center of Expertise should be established, where the representatives of agricultural sector will be trained. It happens with the support of international partners and the authorities. Also an innovative laboratory will be established, the equipment of which agricultural enterprises will be able to use in the implementation of innovative technologies during their activities.

According to Oleksandr Levchenko, the main goal of the UniClaD project is to create innovative clusters based on our region, which will be a form of association of agricultural producers, authorities or municipality, research institutions and the university. As part of the implementation of the ERASMUS + project, it is planned to study the experience of such associations in European countries, in particular through scientists, PHD students, researchers exchange.