Karazin University Joins the Alliance of Ukrainian Universities for Environmental Protection Technology Research

On 22 June 2026, Acting Rector of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Professor Borys Samorodov, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation confirming the University's accession to the Environmental Doctoral & Research Alliance (EDRA), an alliance of Ukrainian universities dedicated to research on environmental protection technologies.

The Memorandum was signed within the framework of the international project ConnectED: German-Ukrainian University Network for Environmental and Nature Protection Higher Education (2025–2029), implemented with the support of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The project aims to establish a sustainable Ukrainian-German university network, strengthen partnerships in environmental and nature protection education and research, facilitate knowledge exchange, and educate a new generation of professionals for Ukraine's green recovery.

The Alliance brings together Ukrainian higher education institutions that share a common vision for developing a research and educational ecosystem in the fields of environmental security, environmental protection technologies, innovative solutions for sustainable natural resource management, post-war territorial recovery, and researcher training.

The Memorandum provides for the coordination of joint scientific, educational, and research and technological initiatives, the development of inter-university doctoral education, the creation and implementation of collaborative research projects, academic mobility, exchange of expertise, as well as mutual access to scientific, laboratory, and analytical infrastructure.

An important component of the Alliance's activities will be supporting early-career researchers, promoting interdisciplinary approaches, developing joint educational components, organising scientific events, and creating an environment in which research outcomes can be effectively translated into practical environmental governance and conservation solutions.

For Karazin University, participation in EDRA represents a natural continuation of its long-standing work in environmental education, research, and international cooperation. The University joins the Alliance not only as a participant in new partnership initiatives but also to share its experience in establishing and implementing the Doctoral School for PhD students, launched within the framework of the Erasmus+ project INTENSE (Integrated Doctoral Program for Environmental Policy, Management and Technology). The Doctoral School is currently being further developed through the SUNRISE project (Supporting Ukraine's Next Generation of Scholars: a Project for Raising University Capacity and Improving Doctoral Student Education). Both projects are implemented at the Education and Research Institute of Ecology, Green Energy and Sustainable Development. This experience includes the development of individual educational and research pathways, interdisciplinary training, enhancement of research and transferable competencies, the use of digital educational resources, and the expansion of academic mobility opportunities for early-career researchers.

The experience gained through the INTENSE Doctoral School is particularly valuable for the development of EDRA, as it encompasses the design of individual educational and research pathways for doctoral students, the integration of fundamental and applied environmental education, the use of digital learning platforms, inter-university cooperation, and the development of skills essential for young researchers working in the international academic environment.

Karazin University's participation in the Alliance strengthens its role as one of Ukraine's leading centres of environmental education and research while creating new opportunities for collaborative research, the training of highly qualified professionals, the development of innovative environmental protection technologies, and the advancement of scientific solutions to today's environmental challenges.