As part of the Erasmus+:KA 2 CBHE Unicom project implementing”University – Communities: Strengthening Cooperation”, a roundtable “University and Sustainable Development of Communities” was held at Sumy Business School of Sumy National Agrarian University. Scientists, practitioners, students, representatives of state authorities and heads of 31 communities of the Sumy region took part in the work of the roundtable. The aim of the event is to create a consortium in the Sumy Region for further cooperation in order to achieve the goals of sustainable development and post-war reconstruction of Sumy Region communities.
Volodymyr LADYKA, Rector of Sumy National Agrarian University, opened the event with a welcome speech, who emphasized the importance of establishing the sustainable development of communities thanks to their synergy with business and universities.
The executors of the Unicom project “University – Communities: Strengthening Cooperation” are an international group of universities led by the University of Genoa (Italy). An important component of the project implementing is the adaptation of foreign experience in the implementation of the “third mission” of the university in relation to the territory where it is located. One of the project executors, the Vice-Rector for Scientific and International Activities, Yurii Danko, spoke about the peculiarities of the initiative functioning.
Implementing the round table program, the participants joined the discussion of six key reports:
- The current state of the agricultural sector as the basis of sustainable development of the region (Reporter: O. MASLAK, Director of the Agro-Industrial Development Department of the Sumy Regional State Administration)
- Tools of open governance in the work of territorial communities (Reporter: K. AGADZHANOV-GONZALEZ, Communication Consultant at the Sumy Branch of the Ukrainian Cities Association)
- Strategic development of communities under martial law (Reporter: H. STARYKOV, Head of the Regional Development Agency)
- A vital component in the restoration and development of Sumy Oblast communities (Reporter: I. KASHPUR, Head of the Ecology and Energy Department of Sumy Oblast)
- Social adaptation within the framework of the implementation of the third mission for the development of communities (Reporter: I. HALICHENKO, Director of the “Sumy City Territorial Center of Social Services “Berehynia””
- Social support of citizens injured as a result of hostilities (Reporter: Olena YAREM, Regional Head of Social Support of the “Prolisok” humanitarian mission)
Each of the reports ended with lively discussions among the participants, interesting questions from the audience and meaningful answers. The heads of territorial communities of Sumy Oblast spoke about the problems that most important today.
The organizers of the roundtable are sure that they managed to achieve the desired goal of the meeting – they created a friendly, comfortable environment between specialists who will be involved in the implementation of sustainable development and have a direct impact on the functioning of Sumy Oblast communities.
