On July 4, 2024, the “UCC Hub” platform and centers of the universities participating in the UniCities project were officially opened. These unique interdisciplinary and interdepartmental units are designed to promote the sustainable development of Ukrainian cities and communities by providing technological and organizational support for research and innovation in sustainable development, green transformation, and climate neutrality.

Olga Kordas, associate professor in Sustainable Urban Development at the Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering (SEED), KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden), and Natalia Lazarenko, International Activities Manager at the Association of Ukrainian Cities, welcomed the participants. They noted that the open centers will become places of active cooperation between cities and universities and that science, education, and cities should form an active synergy. In addition, Maksym Poliarnyi, a representative of the NGO “Polissia Foundation for International and Regional Studies”, visited Chernihiv Polytechnic. 

In addition, Oleh Novomlynets, Rector of the National University of Chernihiv Polytechnic, Serhiy Shkarlet, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine (2020-2023) and First Vice-Rector of National University “Chernihiv Polytechnic”, and Veronika Khudolei, Rector of the Academician Yuri Bugay International Scientific and Technical University, also delivered welcoming remarks. 

The opening of the centers was also joined by students and experts from the summer school “Shaping urban environments for tomorrow” dedicated to nature-based, sustainable, and resilient solutions for community recovery and climate change adaptation, as well as participants and guests at the open centers of the UniCities project partner universities. Among the guests of the event were Nesterenko Svitlana, a representative of the Municipal Research Institute Institution City Development Institute, and Maksym Poliarnyi, a representative of the Polissia Foundation for International and Regional Studies, with which Chernihiv Polytechnic signed a memorandum of cooperation.

The National University of Chernihiv Polytechnic has introduced the UCC Hub platform. Very soon, every user interested in the green transformation and sustainable development of Ukraine will be able to access it. The cooperation centers of the universities participating in the UniCities project were also presented.

The “UCC Hub” platform and the centers of the participating universities will perform many important functions. The organization of conferences, roundtables, seminars, annual schools, certificate programs, open lectures, and other scientific and educational meetings involving university scientists and invited researchers and experts, representatives of state and local governments, and international partners will help increase the involvement of the academic community and the public in addressing climate issues and sustainable urban transformation. In addition, the centers will implement information projects on sustainable development, green transformation, and climate neutrality of cities and communities, ESG, in cooperation with the media, involving experts from other countries and University faculty and students. Analyzing the strategies of public authorities and local self-government bodies in terms of compliance with the principles of sustainable development, green transformation, and climate neutrality of cities will help to prepare proposals for improving existing programs and public policy. An important element of the Center’s activities is the development of courses, educational programs, trainings, and workshops on the topics of the Center’s activities for various stakeholders, as well as providing recommendations to academic institutions and organizing teacher training events.

It is worth reminding that partner institutions are implementing the project: Royal Institute of Technology KTH (Sweden), Universidad Politechnica de Madrid, UPM (Spain), National Technical University of Ukraine Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, NTUU KPI (Ukraine), Chernihiv National University of Technology, CNUT (Ukraine), Academician Yuriy Bugay International Scientific and Technical University, ISTU (Ukraine), Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, NLUU (Ukraine), Charitable Fund CANactions, All-Ukrainian Association of Local Government Authorities “Association of Ukrainian Cities”, Public union «Association of the engineers of stable energy technologies of Ukraine», Ukrainian Research Hydrometeorological Institute, UHMI.

Thanks to the activities of the centers, the academic community is becoming an important player in shaping a sustainable and environmentally responsible future for Ukrainian cities and communities.