Meeting of the USUST Academic Council: research performance review, internationalization strategy, and key decisions

On February 25, 2026, the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies held a regular meeting of its Academic Council. During the session, the participants reviewed the university’s research performance for 2025, outlined key priorities for 2026, approved strategic documents, and adopted a number of important decisions aimed at the further development of the institution.

The meeting opened with ceremonial greetings.

Rector of USUST, Professor Kostiantyn Sukhyi, congratulated Vice-Rector for Research, Academic Affairs and Continuing Education Serhii Bazhan on the successful defense of his doctoral dissertation and the awarding of the Doctor of Sciences diploma. He also congratulated Dmytro Kryvolapov, a PhD student of the SEI ‘USUCT’on defending his dissertation and receiving the Doctor of Philosophy degree.

Words of special appreciation were expressed for Professor Dmytro Zelentsov, a long-serving head of the Department of Information Systems at the SEI ‘USUCT’, who played a key role in establishing the IT field in the institute. During his tenure, three new departments were established and eight dissertations were successfully defended. After stepping down from the position of the head of the Department, Dmytro Hehemonovych will continue his work at the university as a professor.

The participants of the meeting also extended birthday greetings to the head of the university’s trade union, Associate Professor Andrii Selehei. They expressed their gratitude for his consistent work and dedication to the well-being of the university community and wished him good health and continued success.

The first item on the agenda was a report on the outcomes of the university’s research, scientific and technological, and innovation activities in 2025, as well as the main priorities for 2026. The report was presented by the Vice-Rector for Research, Professor Yurii Proidak.

The report also highlighted the visit of a delegation from the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of the Republic of Poland , whose representatives got acquainted with the results of the integration of Dnipro’s leading educational institutions within USUST and expressed a positive assessment of these integration processes.

In 2025, the University carried out 36 state-funded research projects in various fields. The total funding for scientific and technological activities amounted to UAH 74,466 thousand, placing the university in the seventh place among higher education institutions in Ukraine. At the same time, USUST held a leading position in terms of base research funding in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

At the same time, the speaker highlighted a concerning trend – a decline in the number of young researchers since 2023. At the same time, an increase has been observed in the number of PhD defenses (with more than 700 doctoral candidates enrolled annually in 2024–2025)

Considerable attention was devoted to the material and technical support of research. In 2025, capital expenditures for the acquisition of modern scientific equipment increased, and a number of initiatives were implemented to improve energy efficiency, introduce green energy technologies, and reduce the carbon footprint, including through the installation of solar panels.

The accredited research and testing laboratories operate in the university educational and research institutes, which demonstrate significant results and strong prospects for further development.

The research publication activity continues to grow steadily, with nearly 500 articles published annually in journals indexed in Scopus and Web of Science.

The innovation component of the university’s research outcomes in 2025 included 16 Ukrainian patents for inventions, 39 utility model patents, and 70 applications submitted for intellectual property objects, which is more than double the figures of the previous year. Based on these results, USUST ranked among the ten most active universities in Ukraine in terms of innovation activity. Particular emphasis was placed on the need to integrate the discipline of innovation activity into the educational process as a mandatory component, ensuring that every doctoral student completes their studies with a patent or a registered utility model.

The activity of young researchers and student science was also highlighted, particularly their participation in national academic competitions, research contests, and projects of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Currently, the university is hosting three national scientific conferences dedicated to the issues of higher education and research, as well as twelve international conferences. Additionally, two national and four international conferences are organized specifically for higher education students and young researchers.

In 2025, the university continued to implement international projects with total funding amounting to UAH 23,371 thousand.

In 2025, the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies participated in the state certification in four research areas:

‘Engineering and technical’ – awarded Category A (35 structural units involved); the university ranked among 18 universities out of 108 participating in the evaluation, which directly contributes to an increase in the volume of base funding.
‘Social Sciences’ – awarded Category B (9 units involved).
‘Humanities and Arts” – awarded Category B (21 units involved).
‘Social Sciences’ – the evaluation process is ongoing (18 units involved).

For the ‘Security’ research area, the decision on the submission of documents is expected in 2026 (22 structural units involved).

The key priorities for 2026 are as follows:

Increasing publication activity in journals indexed in Scopus and Web of Science.
Improving the university’s position in the Webometrics ranking.
Enhancing the activities of the council of young scientists and the scientific society of students, cadets, PhD students, and young researchers.
Strengthening the engagement of the university’s researchers in competitive calls for fundamental research projects and scientific and technological (experimental) developments funded from the general fund of the state budget, as well as in grant programs.
Updating research areas in accordance with the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 540 of July 19, 2017.
Reorganization of the university’s research schools.

The report was unanimously supported and approved by the Academic Council.

The next agenda item was the approval of the USUST Internationalization Strategy for 2026-2030 . The report was presented by Nataliia Chernova, head of the International Relations Office.

The document consists of nine structural sections and defines internationalization as a tool for enhancing the quality of education. The strategy encompasses all university units and is implemented through annual action plans. Its main objective is to make the university more high-quality, visible, and competitive through international cooperation providing students and faculty with broader opportunities while ensuring tangible outcomes for the university, including projects, partnerships, and modernization initiatives.

Strategic objectives for 2026–2030:

International-level education (updating academic programs, bilingual courses, COIL initiatives, and joint modules).
Academic mobility (a ‘single window’ approach, blended formats, and recognition of learning outcomes).
Research and innovation (consortia, joint publications, and a structured portfolio of research projects).
Partnerships and reputation (roadmaps, international networks, and enhanced English-language visibility).
International attractiveness (services for international students and scholars, mentoring support).
Digitalization and analytics (electronic registries and cybersecurity).
Contribution to the reconstruction of Ukraine.

The implementation will take place in two stages:

2026–2027 – launch of the foundational phase;
2028–2030 – scaling and expansion.

The opening of a Consultation Center For International Opportunities, operating on a ‘single window’ is planned for early March 2026.

During the meeting, the Academic Council also approved the establishment of ad hoc specialized academic councils for the defense of doctoral candidates pursuing the third (PhD) level of higher education. In addition, the council reviewed and approved the syllabi of educational components, as reported by Serhii Hryshechkin, Associate Professor and head of the Educational and Research Center for Quality Assurance in education.

More photos from the event are available via the link