The UniCities team continues to share the successes and development of the established innovation centers. They are already shaping a new ecosystem for Ukraine’s sustainable energy future. One of these centers — the Energy Decarbonization Center and the Energy Innovation Hub of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI), established within the Center, are actively engaging in dialogue and offering innovative solutions.

Thus, in the Hryhorii Denysenko Scientific and Technical Library, a round table “Developing the Network of energy innovation hubs for Ukraine’s recovery: results of the past six months and planning the next steps” was held, which became another stage in strengthening cooperation between scientific and regional initiatives on energy efficiency.

The event brought together representatives of eight energy innovation hubs from different regions of Ukraine — Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Lutsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernivtsi. The event was held with the support of the international technical assistance project “Promotion of Energy Efficiency and Implementation of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive in Ukraine,” implemented by GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) on behalf of the governments of Germany and Switzerland within the “Professional Qualifications” component.

During the round table, participants presented the results of their work for the first half of 2025, shared practical cases of implementing energy-efficient solutions, and identified directions for further cooperation. The focus was on strengthening partnerships with local communities, exchanging experience among universities, and scaling local initiatives to the national level.

A separate part of the event was dedicated to the results of the study visit to Munich, where representatives of Ukrainian hubs studied European approaches to energy management. During the discussion, participants outlined specific ideas that can be adapted to Ukrainian realities in the field of decentralized energy and energy consumption management.

The meeting also presented the results of the UniCities project, aimed at uncovering the transformative potential of Ukrainian universities as drivers of sustainable development and climate neutrality in cities. Within the project, two innovative master’s courses were developed: “Methodological foundations for building smart cities and strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation” and “Applied tasks in building smart cities and strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation.”

These courses combine theoretical knowledge with practical skills in developing “smart” energy supply systems, managing renewable energy sources, and implementing climate strategies in urban environments.

An important part of the event was the presentation of a new project of the Center — the Energy Resilience Lab, created with the support of the Czech company RSE, a manufacturer of mobile cogeneration solutions. The laboratory will become the first educational platform in Ukraine where specialists will be able to learn how to operate mobile cogeneration stations, study the principles of decentralized and backup energy. They will also explore practical cases of implementing RSE technologies in critical facilities — from hospitals to frontline communities.

The UniCities team welcomes the development of the Center as an example of the successful integration of educational, scientific, and technological approaches to achieving the goals of the energy transition.