Our news

We are deeply saddened by the passing of our colleague Vitalii Kovalenko, Dean of the Agrobiological Faculty and dedicated ECOTWINS member. His energy, kindness, and invaluable contributions to the project will always be remembered. May he rest in peace.

At the forum at NUBiP/NULES, I met professor Anatolii Balaiev and associate professor Rostyslav Bohdanovych, the head of the department. They invited me to visit the Department of soil science and soil protection named after Mykola Shykula — an outstanding Ukrainian scientist who laid the foundations of soil-protective agriculture long before we began calling it that.

On November 11, 2025, the Forum “Science. Education. Business – 2025” was held at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. This year, the main focus of discussions among educators, scientists, and business representatives was cooperation for Victory and the reconstruction of Ukraine.

As part of the ongoing research project, a laboratory stage is being carried out to study the effect of biostimulants on the growth and development of intercropping of pea, barley, and faba bean.

“As part of the ECOTWINS project (project number 101079308 — HORIZON EUROPE), the Second Summer School in Sustainable Agricultural Practices took place on September 16–18, 2025, at the Higher School of International Commerce ESCI-UPF in Barcelona (Kingdom of Spain).”

All fieldwork at the ECOTWINS experimental site in Ukraine has been successfully completed. This year, two major field trials were established to study the dynamics of intercropping biocenoses under the influence of biostimulants and soil amendments.

On July 11, 2025, I, Iryna Havryliuk, a participant in the international ECOTWINS project, successfully defended my PhD dissertation in the specialty 201 "Agronomy". My scientific work, titled "Evaluation and Development of Initial Winter Bread Wheat Material with Enhanced Productivity and Adaptability".

We are pleased to announce the publication of a new scientific article, the result of collaboration between Ukrainian and international researchers within the framework of the ECOTWINS project. The paper was published in a Q1-ranked journal, Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, and focuses on the potential of biostimulants to enhance crop productivity in intercropping systems.

During April 2025, I had the opportunity to complete a scientific internship at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) as part of the international Ecotwins project. I would like to emphasize that this was a significant milestone in my professional development. Participation in the internship contributed to the deepening of my research competencies in the field of analytical chemistry and agroecology, particularly in the implementation of modern innovative approaches to sample preparation and quality control analysis.

We are proud to share our latest publication under the ECOTWINS Horizon Project! Our study explores the environmental impacts of composts, biofertilizers, and biostimulants in promoting sustainable agriculture and enhancing nutrient circularity. Using a life cycle assessment approach, we assessed products developed in Ukraine, Denmark, and Sweden, including vermicompost, insect frass, digestate, biochar, and fish hydrolysate.

As part of the international scientific project ECOTWINS, funded by the Horizon 2020 program, researchers at the University of Copenhagen are conducting studies on the effectiveness of biostimulants under different lighting conditions.

The business partner of the Eсotwins project, Research and Production Centre "Forel" is one of Ukraine's leaders in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) aquaculture. Through advanced technologies and a scientific approach, the company is actively developing innovative solutions for efficient resource utilization and reducing environmental impact.

On January 30, 2025, a delegation from the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP) participated actively in World Pulse Day — an international event initiated by the FAO and celebrated annually to highlight the importance of legumes in ensuring food security, promoting sustainable agricultural development, and supporting healthy nutrition.

Dear colleagues, stakeholders, and interested parties, we kindly invite you to participate in the discussion and provide your suggestions and edits to help us achieve this goal.

Intercropping systems are highly productive but difficult to predict from an agricultural perspective. Farmers have access to several well-established crop combinations: vetch-oat mixtures, alfalfa with timothy grass, and pea with barley. Some are designed to maximize biomass and balance forage quality, while others aim for grain production.

Dear Friends! May the light of the Christmas star guide your way, bringing peace, joy, and love to your home. Wishing you and your loved ones a magical holiday season! From our Ukrainian hearts to yours — Христос народився!"

Agroecological intensification is an innovative approach to agriculture that combines productivity with environmental stewardship. How can we increase yields without depleting soil resources? How can we reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides while ensuring stable income for farmers?

Soil degradation or fertility restoration? This challenging issue was the focus of the V International Conference "National Challenge: Soil Degradation or Fertility Restoration?", which became a platform for uniting the efforts of leading experts, scientists, representatives of agricultural education, and business to address the pressing questions of modern agricultural production.

Participant of the Ecotwins project, PhD student Iryna Havrylyuk, took part in the webinar organized within the framework of the international summit EUROAGRI2024: Agriculture and Food Safety Summit, held in Rome, Italy.

International Scientific Conference: "Education and Science in the Face of Challenges and Threats. The Contribution of Young Scientists to Sustainable Development" was focusing on sustainable education and resilience in Ukrainian universities during the ongoing war.

The best agroecological practices for sustainable development were presented at the Ukrainian Quality Assurance Forum on September 25-26, 2024. Best agroecological practices for sustainable development take effective agricultural production with environmental safety.

In 2015, Ukraine became an associate member of the European Union's Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, "Horizon 2020" (2014-2020). Over nearly a decade of cooperation, it has become clear that "Horizon" is one of the most effective tools for integrating Ukrainian educational institutions into the European research area.

Harvesting crops in the field does not mean the end of work on the experiment. One of the main tasks of the HORIZON EUROPE, ECOTWINS project is to conduct field tests of the combined effect of the introduction of biostimulants and compatible crops on the productivity of agro-ecosystems and their ecological sustainability. Soil fertility indicators are an important indicator of ecosystem stability.

We are pleased to announce that Tetiana Khomenko, a participant in the Ecotwins project, has successfully defended her PhD dissertation titled: “Regulating the Biological Activity of Sod-Podzolic Soils and the Productivity of Table Potatoes under Organic Farming in the Western Polissya Region.”

Today, Ukrainians celebrate the indomitable spirit and unity of the Ukrainian people, celebrate their courage and resilience in the face of constant challenges. This holiday serves as a reminder of its collective strength and hope for the future.

Modern agriculture is focused on achieving maximum crop yields and high-quality indicators.

On July 18-19, 2024, the annual meeting of the Ecotwins project took place at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH)

The HORIZON Ecotwins project involves four countries: Ukraine, Sweden, Denmark, and Spain. One of the project’s tasks is the joint supervision of master’s and PhD students.

Summer is a hot season for agronomists. The second decade of June rallied everyone for a field experiment.

The conference "Biochar for the green restoration of Ukraine" was held on May 2-3, 2024 in the premises of the Faculty of Agrobiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine).

The spring and summer period is characterized by the hard and important work of the farmers.

Between March 4th and March 11th, ESCI-UPF held the ECOtwins Summer School which aimed to enhance the capacities of the University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP) in sustainable agriculture and environmental impacts.

It's a great opportunity to expand my own boundaries, meet colleagues from different parts of the world, and of course, to travel

After the summer school March 2024 at ESCI-UPF premises in Barcelona, Ukrainian PhD students and scientists had a possibility to attend a 3-day intense writing workshop taught by Julia T. Williams Camus, an English Philology professor at the University of Cantabria in hydride format (offline and online).

The quality of soils, Carbon Footprint, and methods for reducing emissions in agrotechnologies were key presentations at the Summer School of the Ecotwins project

The two-week Summer School within the framework of the HORIZON EUROPE project, ECOTWINS "Development of the research potential and enhancement of the qualification and skills of the group of researchers of NUBiP Ukraine in agroecological intensification of the plant industry," has started

Discussion of the status of field research and the main working points

We collect plants for tests and discuss them

The Ecotwins team successfully completes all tasks

We confidently step into a happy future together with Ecotwins