On 7 December, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Austria to Ukraine, Arad BENKO, visited Sumy National Agrarian University.
The university’s Rector, Ihor Kovalenko, and the Head of the Sumy Regional State Administration, Volodymyr ARTIUKH, attended the meeting with the ambassador.
The Austrian delegation was presented with infographics and a story about the state of the Sumy region during the war, an analysis of the economic activity results in comparison with 2024 and 2023, and a presentation on the diversity of resources and cultures represented in the region.
The focus of the conversation was the security situation of educational institutions, as well as the fact that, due to frequent air strikes, students in the region, including students of SNAU, were forced to switch to distance learning. The rector of SNAU presented the new shelters that were created in 2024.
Then they talked about internships and cooperation. Ihor KOVALENKO, Rector of SNAU, addressed the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Austria to Ukraine, Arad BENKO, with the following words:
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Austrian government for providing teachers with the opportunity to train at the University of Vienna and stay in guest houses. Cooperation with the University of Vienna and Sumy National Agrarian University began in 2010. The first delegation that came from BOKU University took part in the development of a unique landscape design in front of the main building. It is also a great honor for us to cooperate with the Danube Soybean Association, whose office is located in Vienna, and with which SNAU has signed a memorandum under which the university has introduced an academic discipline based on the recommendations of scientists”.
The rector mentioned that efforts are in progress to establish an Austrian-German dairy farm. Additionally, the vivarium, a training laboratory for animal studies, is being reconstructed. The university aims to set up this farm to provide scientists, teachers, and students with the opportunity to learn and apply the Austrian approach to genetics. To achieve this, collaboration with the Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine is considered desirable.
The Ambassador replied that he would provide contacts and facilitate a dialogue between the rectors of Sumy National Agrarian University and the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.
We are proud that SNAU has become a meeting place for distinguished guests from Austria, and we express our sincere gratitude for the cooperation! Thanks to our partners and the work of the team, SNAU is increasingly revealing its potential!
