On 29 March 2024, Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design hosted a solemn signing of partnership agreements on cooperation and joining the International Network of Virtual Youth Business Hubs between the coordinator of its creation, Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, and the project partners – secondary, vocational pre-university and higher education institutions of Ukraine. The event took place in the context of the implementation of the ERASMUS-EDU-2021-VIRT-EXCH grant project "International Network of Virtual Youth Business Hubs" VEHUB4YOU by Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, which focuses on the transfer of business knowledge from the EU to young people in the Eastern partner countries (aged 13 to 30) through virtual exchange technologies.

The signing ceremony was opened by Oleksandra Olshanska, Dean of the Faculty of Management and Business Design, Doctor of Economics, Professor, Project Coordinator from KNUTD, who briefly presented the VEHUB4YOU project and introduced the participants of the event, saying that 18 directors of secondary, vocational pre-university and higher education institutions were present at the signing of agreements, and representatives of 22 more educational institutions that are joining the Network are participating online. In addition, the Project Coordinator drew attention to the extremely wide geography of the participants – future project partners. In particular, these are educational institutions in Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Pereiaslav, Dnipro, Poltava, Boryspil, Kremenchuk, etc.

After introducing the participants, Oleksandra Volodymyrivna gave the floor to Ivan Gryshchenko, Rector of Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, Doctor of Economics, Professor, Academician of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine.

In his speech, the Rector spoke about how the University works in difficult times of full-scale war, about the problems and challenges faced by the teaching staff and students.  He emphasised that despite this, the teaching staff continues to successfully fulfil not only its main mission of training highly qualified specialists, but also systematically carries out research and project activities. Ivan Mykhailovych noted that despite all the challenges, the University managed to maintain the number of students and teaching staff, as well as not only maintain its position in international and national rankings, but also significantly improve them and intensify work in many areas of international cooperation, in particular in the field of internationalisation of education, development of project activities and international academic mobility. Ivan Mykhailovych stressed that KNUTD was the first Ukrainian university to export educational services to the People’s Republic of China, opening the first Ukrainian-Chinese educational institution – the Kyiv Institute in Qilu (Jinan, Shandong Province). The Rector focused on the important tasks and ways of further development of the University in the context of martial law and post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

After that, the ceremony of signing agreements on joining the INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF VIRTUAL YOUTH BUSINESS HUBS between the coordinator of the ERASMUS-EDU-2021-VIRT-EXCH VEHUB4YOU project, Kyiv National University of Technology and Design, and the project partners – secondary, vocational pre-university and higher education institutions of Ukraine, who have expressed a desire to participate in the project – began.

At the end of the event, the participants and new partners who joined the VEHUB4YOU project exchanged views on the directions of further project implementation and took a joint photo to commemorate this important event.

After that, the guests were invited to a tour of Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, where they were introduced to the KNUTD Embroidery Museum, presented by Tetiana Bukoros, Director of the KNUTD Scientific and Technical Library, PhD, Associate Professor. The guests took a joint photo of unity with an embroidered Ukrainian towel.

Next, they visited the Shoe Design Studio – the Museum of Footwear, which presents the achievements of researchers and students of KNUTD. In the educational and scientific laboratory of sewing technologies in the fashion industry, where the latest equipment of the Japanese brand JUKI was presented for the first time in Europe, the guests were introduced to the most modern sewing equipment used by the University students.

At the end of the meeting, the guests – the heads of secondary, vocational pre-university and higher education institutions and members of the VEHUB4YOU project team of the Faculty of Management and Business Design – discussed the ways of future cooperation in implementing the activities and agreed to hold ECONOMICS DAY at KNUTD with the invitation of secondary school and college students in April 2024, where the VEHUB4YOU project and the created NETWORK OF VIRTUAL YOUTH BUSINESS HUBS will be presented.

We sincerely thank the participants and guests of the event. We keep the educational and scientific front! Together to our Victory!

31.03.2024