On September 2, 2024, Academician Yuriy Bugay International Scientific and Technical University, National Technical University of Ukraine «Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute» (NTUU KPI, Ukraine), Chernihiv Polytechnic National University, and Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University successfully launched new academic disciplines developed within the UniCities project.

The new courses are aimed at providing students with key knowledge and practical skills in climate neutrality, green transformation, smart cities (technologies), adaptation strategies, and mitigation of climate change. The courses are based on a challenge-based approach to working with topics, using interdisciplinary methods that combine environmental, technological, urban, engineering, economic, and social aspects. Through this approach and combination, students will be able to explore the potential of technologies, policies, strategies, and methods to address the challenges of climate change.

It is worth noting that the development of the courses was preceded by appropriate preparatory work and training for course developers from leading experts and lecturers from the Royal Institute of Technology and Universidad Politecnica de Madrid. Experts from the national programs for climate neutrality of cities, such as Viable Cities (Sweden) and citiES2023 (Spain) were also involved in the process. Each Ukrainian partner university has developed its course under the specifics of the educational programs and specialties in which these disciplines will be taught to master’s students.

Launching new courses within the UniCities project opens up wide opportunities for students and faculty, and contributes to solving urgent problems of climate change and urban development problems. The project consortium believes that it is vital to stimulate citizen engagement in sustainable development and green transformation, to seek innovative approaches to urban planning, and to help cities adapt to new environmental challenges. That is why the developed courses provide students and researchers with the necessary knowledge and skills to influence the future of our cities effectively. 

*This project is co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). The European Union and the granting authority cannot be held responsible for them.