On November 11, 2025, the Forum “Science. Education. Business – 2025” was held at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBIP). This year, the main theme of discussion among educators, scientists, and business representatives was cooperation for Victory and the reconstruction of Ukraine. More than 500 participants — CEOs of enterprises and companies from various sectors, representatives of government authorities, Members of Parliament of Ukraine, rectors, vice-rectors, deans of leading universities, scientists of the National Academies, and the academic community — took part in the event, which once again confirmed the Forum’s status as a leading platform for exchanging ideas, sharing experiences, and initiating partnerships.

NUBiP of Ukraine welcomed distinguished guests with an exhibition-demonstration of scientific developments, successfully implemented real-life collaboration cases, and proposals for new joint projects. After all, it is often in the informal conversations, introductions, and dialogues over a cup of welcome coffee that the most inspiring ideas are born.

This year, the main event of the Forum took place in an elegant hall in a new format. The gathering began with a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims of the Russian-Ukrainian war and in gratitude to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the opportunity to teach, conduct research, and work in our own country.

With a welcoming address to the participants, Vadym Tkachuk, Rector of National university of life and environmental science of Ukraine, expressed his gratitude for the attention given to the main theme of the Forum and to the challenges currently facing higher education, science, industry, entrepreneurship, and the economy in the context of the country’s reconstruction.

Mykola Trofymenko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, noted that today NUBiP of Ukraine serves as a center of resilience, highlighting the active work of the Employers’ Council and the university’s effective forms of cooperation with business. He emphasized that the university is now at the forefront of preparing specialists for the real sector of the economy, who, upon graduation, immediately enter the workforce without needing time for professional adaptation. Talented applicants recognize this and choose to study at NUBiP of Ukraine, shaping their own individual educational trajectories.

The Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Viktor Boyko, sincerely expressed his love for his alma mater and called on the government and legislators to support education, science, and business in their pursuit of mutually beneficial cooperation — as this benefits both Ukrainian society and the state.

The Head of the Employers’ Council, Leonid Tsentilo, emphasized that even under wartime conditions, NUBiP of Ukraine not only provides education and conducts research but also ensures high-quality practical training and seeks ways to implement innovations in production. In his view, the university is a hub of talent and ideas for solving the most pressing issues and for shaping policies across various sectors.

Mykhailo Malkov, Adviser to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), described NUBiP of Ukraine as a strategic partner of FAO, a true forge of specialists not only for the country’s agro-industrial complex but also for the FAO office in Ukraine, where many employees are university graduates. He also conveyed an official greeting from FAO leadership.

After the welcoming remarks, the Forum continued with presentations by the key speakers. As the host, Rector Vadym Tkachuk delivered a report titled “NUBiP of Ukraine as a Driver of Recovery, Innovation, and Partnership.”

He emphasized the main message of the day — simple yet strategic: science, education, and business are not parallel worlds, but a single system that shapes the future. The National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine has chosen its mission to be a platform where these worlds unite, creating joint solutions, initiatives, products, innovations, and policies.

The Rector outlined the key challenges of modern times — climate change, land degradation, instability of the food system, digitalization of the economy, crisis of trust in society, as well as demographic and migration shifts, and the transformation of the educational and scientific systems. Among these, he identified six areas where these challenges are most acutely felt: agriculture, environmental management, higher education, the humanitarian sphere, science, and innovation.

According to updated estimates by experts from the World Bank, the Government of Ukraine, the European Union, and the United Nations, as of the end of 2024, the direct damage caused by the war reached 176 billion USD, while the reconstruction needs exceeded 520 billion USD. Unfortunately, throughout 2025, these figures continue to grow, with a significant share of the losses concentrated in agriculture, ecology, infrastructure, education, and science — precisely the sectors in which NUBiP of Ukraine is most active.

The university’s scientists are part of the Humanitarian Demining Group under the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine. Interdisciplinary research teams — including the Ukrainian Laboratory of Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products, the Agrobiological Faculty, the Institute of Agricultural Radiology, and the Faculty of Land Management — are implementing projects focused on identifying military and technogenic contamination of soil and water.

With the financial support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, a number of technological and innovation projects are being carried out. These projects aim to apply artificial intelligence technologies for soil restoration, develop bioremediation methods, design mechanisms and equipment for leveling damaged soil, formulate a risk-oriented concept for increasing forest resilience to fires and climate change, create food technology complexes and nutritional planning systems for military personnel, restore agricultural lands withdrawn from use after the Chornobyl disaster, and promote circular and blue economy models in agriculture and fisheries.

Joint projects with business also deserve attention — such as “Intelligent Greenhouse Management Systems Using Mobile Robots”, and the digital platform “E-Dorada”, which provides remote learning opportunities for clients and advisory services. Other areas of innovation include new approaches to breeding, nutrition science, and human and animal health.

NUBiP has introduced a new format of university education — education through innovation and partnership with business, emphasizing practice-oriented learning and student-centeredness. This approach involves cooperation with stakeholders in the implementation of 158 educational programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels, as well as the realization of a strategy for building a safe, energy-independent, and digital educational environment.

Rector Vadym Tkachuk emphasized that the university’s greatest asset is its reliable partnerships. The mutually beneficial relationships with the business community are reflected in the so-called “success funnel.” Universities aim to ensure that students acquire practical skills, gain access to modern infrastructure, mentorship programs, and first employment opportunities. Businesses, in turn, benefit from a steady flow of highly trained specialists, often among the best in their fields.

Examples of successful collaboration with businesses include scholarship and competition programs from companies such as KUHN and MZURI. A flagship of the university’s educational initiatives is the “Agrokebety” Master’s Program, created in partnership with the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club, where top managers of agricultural companies collaborate with academic advisors to mentor master’s students. One of the program’s guiding principles — “from the production line to the classroom” — means that students train in laboratories equipped with the same technology currently used in industry.

In 2024–2025 alone, over 30 new educational and research laboratories were opened at NUBiP in cooperation with, or with financial support from, leading companies and institutions such as KUHN, MZURI, Qweedo Robotics, LightGene, HORSCH, JICA, and the Continental Farmers Group Charitable Foundation. Each year, dozens of top employers — including KERNEL, MHP, Bayer, KUHN, Syngenta, Carlsberg, and others — visit the university to offer internships, dual education programs, employment opportunities, and joint educational initiatives.

NUBiP is cultivating a career development culture starting from the first year — from developing soft skills to obtaining professional certifications, from business interviews to startup creation. At the heart of this process lies partnership: student – university – business.

“NUBiP strives to be a national platform for discussing and addressing the country’s development challenges — as today’s event demonstrates,” noted Vadym Tkachuk. “We unite science, education, business, and the public sector in a shared dialogue about the future.”

Each year, the university hosts over 200 conferences, forums, seminars, and round tables dedicated to food security, sustainable development, digitalization, energy, veterinary medicine, psychology, humanities, and agricultural innovations. NUBiP acts as a bridge between science, education, and business, ensuring the integration of knowledge into the real economy. Thanks to this, the university is becoming a center of communication, innovation, and solutions that support the country’s recovery and help formulate academic recommendations and policy proposals to improve regulatory frameworks and address urgent development tasks.

At the conclusion, Rector Vadym Tkachuk proposed a “Education – Science – Business” Partnership Roadmap, which envisions various formats of interaction with the business community, and invited all stakeholders to join in its implementation.

Key presentations were also delivered by the guests of the Forum. Olena Orzhel, Chief Researcher at the Department of University–Society Interaction of the Institute of Higher Education of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, presented the concept of a civic-oriented university, highlighting its essence and role in modern society.

Ahmad Arabkoohsar, Head of the Smart Thermal Energy Systems Research Group at the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, showcased projects of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) initiative for higher education institutions as successful examples of international scientific cooperation.

Vitalii Skotsyk, President of the Institute of Geopolitics and Strategic Management NGO, delivered a case-based presentation titled “Science, Education, Business: In Practical Terms”, illustrating real-world examples of effective collaboration between these three spheres.

Three discussion panels were held on the sidelines of the Forum.

The first panel, titled “Universities and Government: Strategic Partnership for the Reconstruction of Ukraine,” was moderated by Stanislav Nikolaienko, President of NUBiP of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Educational Sciences and the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, and Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine (2005–2007).

The discussion focused on the current state of universities, challenges facing higher education, legislative initiatives, and cooperation with academic communities. Participants included Ivan Kyrylenko, Member of Parliament of Ukraine; Yurii Melnyk, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for Agrarian Policy and Food (2005–2006); Serhii Tkachuk, Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection; Yurii Bolokhovets, Director General of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine”; as well as rectors of leading universities — Volodymyr Buhrov (Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv), Anatolii Melnychenko (National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”), and Dmytro Lukianenko (Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman).

The second panel, titled “From Idea to Implementation: The Innovative Economy System,” featured a discussion with Leonid Tsentilo, Head of the University Employers’ Council; Marina Zenova, Consultant to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine on public-private partnerships and cooperation between higher education institutions and the real sector of the economy (UIHERP, World Bank project); Serhii Ivashchuk, CEO of NVA “Perlyna Podillia” LLC; Valerii Adamchuk, Director of the Institute of Mechanics and Automation of Agroindustrial Production, NAAS; Anastasiia Tytarenko, Quality Director of the Agro-Region Group of Companies; Mykhailo Draganchuk, Head of Dragmi Farm;  Viktoriia Kuzmych, Head of the Expert Department, BTU-Center. The panel was moderated by Oksana Tonkha, Vice-Rector for Scientific Work and Innovation Development.

The third discussion panel, titled “Synergy between Business and Universities: Partnerships that Create Value,” was moderated by Vitalii Skotsyk, President of the Institute of Geopolitics and Strategic Management NGO. The panel explored business expectations from collaboration with higher education institutions, competencies of the future, effectiveness and gaps in cooperation mechanisms, motivation for investing in R&D projects, and overcoming existing barriers. Participants included Karolien Spaans, Agricultural Attaché, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Serhii Ovcharuk, CEO of the Terra Food Group of Companies; Oleksii Vasylchenko, Director of STOV Agrofirm “Mayak”; Liudmyla Holynska, Senior HR Director, Carlsberg Ukraine;  Vasyl Tsvyk, Founder of “Tetiana2011” Farm (TM ZINKA); Oleksandr Taranenko, First Vice-President, All-Ukrainian Bakers Association; Andrii Bezgubenko, President of E-Consulting;  Volodymyr Osadchuk, CEO of COFCO AGRI Resources Ukraine; Iryna Kostyushko, CEO of Zorya Agro Group; Andrii Dashchenko, Serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Forum participants also heard reflections on innovation, the university, and the state presented in short video messages by higher education students. Subsequently, the academic community and business representatives continued discussing practical aspects and forms of collaboration in nine industry-specific sections. Within the framework of the Forum, a meeting of the University Employers’ Council also took place, during which its head, Leonid Tsentilo, outlined the main directions of activity for the upcoming period.

The Forum concluded with a joint Appeal addressed to the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada, the Government, international partners, and the communities and business sector.

Closing the official part of the Forum, its host, Iryna Maidaniuk, Head of the Department of Cultural Studies, wished everyone a swift victory and peace, the successful implementation of the agreements reached today, and encouraged participants to mark their calendars for SEB-2026.