Professor Oleksiy Larin, Acting Vice Rector for Research at the National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute» (NTU «KhPI»), and Leonid Konotopsky, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Physics, represented the university at the final seminar of the international NURECAB project, «Strengthening Ukraine’s Nuclear Competencies through European Cooperation.» This initiative aims to develop domestic nuclear education and science. The event took place in Kyiv in a hybrid format and brought together 76 Ukrainian and European scientists, educators, and representatives of government agencies, universities, and international organizations. Participants summarized the results of the project’s first cycle and discussed new opportunities for strengthening Ukraine’s nuclear capabilities and further cooperation with EU partners.
Nuclear education and science in Ukraine are currently developing in close collaboration with European partners. One such area of international cooperation is the NURECAB project, supported by the European Union under the Euratom Research and Training Program, which complements the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Program for Research and Innovation. The project aims to strengthen Ukraine’s nuclear capabilities, develop modern education and research, train specialists, and establish sustainable cooperation between Ukrainian and European scientific and educational institutions. The National Scientific Center «Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology» of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which serves as the Euratom National Contact Point in Ukraine, acts as the NURECAB coordinator in Ukraine.
An important milestone in this work was the final NURECAB–NFW2026 seminar, «Strengthening Ukraine’s Nuclear Competencies Through European Cooperation,» during which the results of the two-year implementation phase of the NURECAB project (2023–2025) were summarized. The event took place in Kyiv in a hybrid format and brought together 76 scientists, faculty members, experts, and representatives of government agencies. The National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute» was represented by Oleksiy Larin, Acting Vice Rector for Research, and Leonid Konotopsky, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Physics. Seminar participants discussed the results of their joint work and future directions for the development of the nuclear industry. Key topics included opportunities for Ukrainian scientists to participate in the «Horizon Europe» and Euratom programs, the development of nuclear competencies, and the further integration of the Ukrainian scientific and educational community into the European Research Area.
For NTU «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute», participation in NURECAB became an important part of its international activities and provided an opportunity to expand professional connections in the field of nuclear and thermonuclear energy. As part of the project, researchers and faculty members from NTU «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute» participated in international educational and research events, exchanged experiences with European colleagues, and developed professional contacts. In particular, university representatives took part in the ITER International School, dedicated to current issues in fusion research, and also contributed to the development of cooperation with the Slovak University of Technology. The experience gained and the contacts established lay the groundwork for further collaboration with European partners. «We are interested not only in continuing our existing cooperation but also in joining new joint Euratom educational and research projects. Together with our European partners, we aim to advance research in the field of nuclear and thermonuclear energy, as well as create more opportunities for our researchers and faculty members,» noted Oleksiy Larin.
This collaboration will continue under Euratom’s new Research and Training Program for 2026–2027, which opens up new opportunities for Ukrainian researchers and organizations.
Довідка:
NURECAB (EU-UA Nuclear Research and Education Capacity Building) is an international project supported by the European Union under the Euratom Research and Training Program, which ran from September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2026, and was aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s nuclear capabilities, developing nuclear education and science, training specialists, supporting young scientists, promoting academic mobility, and expanding cooperation between Ukrainian and European universities and research institutions. Within the framework of NURECAB, educational, scientific, and mobility activities were carried out, aimed at integrating the Ukrainian nuclear scientific and educational community into the European Research Area and more actively involving Ukrainian specialists in European programs. The final seminar of the NURECAB project—NFW2026, «Strengthening Ukraine’s Nuclear Competencies through European Cooperation» – took place on August 20, 2026, in Kyiv.