From October 13 to 15, 2025, the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE, Germany) held a seminar for a new international project “ConnectED: German-Ukrainian University Network for Expanding Opportunities in Higher Education in the Field of Environmental Protection and Nature Conservation.” The event brought together representatives of universities from Germany and Ukraine, including Sumy National Agrarian University.
The ConnectED project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), will be implemented between 2025 and 2029. Its goal is to strengthen and expand partnerships between higher education institutions in both countries to promote sustainable education, research in the field of ecology, and the development of joint educational programs. The project will bring together more than 25 universities and research organizations that will join the German-Ukrainian University Network “ConnectED,” created on the basis of the previous Ukrainian-German Digital Teaching Network initiative.
Sumy National Agrarian University was represented at the event by: Dr. Nataliia Yaroshenko (PhD, Senior Lecturer), Prof. Viktoriia Skliar (Doctor of Biological Sciences), and Associate Professor Yurii Skliar (PhD in Biological Sciences). The delegation took part in working sessions, presentations and discussions dedicated to the development of joint courses and the coordination of curricula.
SNAU’s participation in the ConnectED program opens up a number of advantages for the university, including access to the international academic community, involvement of teachers and students in joint projects in the field of environmental education, exchange of experience with leading European experts, and improvement of the quality of the educational process in accordance with international standards of sustainable development.
The three-day seminar in Eberswalde confirmed the strength and long-term potential of German-Ukrainian academic cooperation. The ConnectED project marks a significant step in the development of partnerships between SNAU and German universities, contributing to the formation of a stable platform for joint educational, scientific, and environmental initiatives in the future.
