Staff members of the Management Department at NTU «KhPI» took part in the opening of the new academic year at the International Institute in Zittau at the Technical University of Dresden (Germany). In honor of the event, teachers of NTU «KhPI» prepared an interactive lecture for partners and students on innovations in education, challenge-based learning, entrepreneurial thinking, and collaboration skills. One of the key outcomes of the visit was a discussion of the prospects for launching a double degree program in «International Business» direction for master’s students.
Scientists from the Department of Management of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Economics, Management and International Business of the National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute» joined the festive event on the occasion of the beginning of the academic year at the International Institute Zittau (IHI Zittau) – the main educational and scientific unit of the Technical University of Dresden in Germany. The event was traditionally held in the Bürgersaal hall of the Zittau City Hall, where new students were welcomed by the Vice-Rector of Dresden University of Technology, Professor Niels Modler, the Director of IHI Zittau, Professor Thorsten Claus, as well as numerous representatives of regional and international partner organizations of the institute.
Lecturers from NTU «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute» – Director of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Economics, Management, and International Business Taras Danko, Head of the Department of Management at the same institute, Director of the Startup Center «Spark» of NTU «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute» Nataliia Shmatko, as well as professors Oksana Makovoz and Olena Prokhorenko – gave an interactive lecture for partners and students entitled «EduPreneurs: Startups, Clusters & Quality». It was dedicated to issues of innovation in education, challenge-based learning, entrepreneurial thinking, and collaboration skills. Using their knowledge of startup ecosystems and innovative clusters, the lecturers engaged IHI Zittau students in creating and developing
ideas on how the student and academic community can become active creators of innovation in times of change. Anastasiia Akimenko, a student of the Department of Management at NTU «KhPI,» who is currently studying at IHI Zittau under the Erasmus+ academic mobility program, also joined the lively discussion.
The Department of Management of the Institute of Economics, Management, and International Business at NTU «KhPI» has been cooperating with the International Institute of Zittau at Dresden University of Technology for several years in the field of joint educational events, lectures, and training courses, and in 2025, an agreement on academic mobility under the Erasmus+ program was signed. Therefore, the current visit of representatives of NTU «KhPI» became a significant step towards the rapid development of partnership relations between Kharkiv Polytechnic and IHI Zittau.
The event resulted in a significant discussion of opportunities for further cooperation in the field of education and academic mobility, including the implementation of a double degree program in direction «International Business» at the master’s level.
Note:
The International Institute Zittau (IHI Zittau) was founded in 1993 as a center for second-cycle university education. Since 2013, it has been a central educational unit of the Dresden University of Technology. Currently, the institute focuses on biodiversity and responsible management, ecosystem services, sustainable development, and its management.