Karazin University Participated in the Events Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Founding of the European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN)

On September 21-22, the Acting Director of the Institute of Physics and Technology at Karazin University, Pylyp Kuznetsov, conducted an official visit to Brussels, Belgium, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN). 

During the visit, the participants discussed the current status of nuclear education in the EU, the prospects of research on nuclear reactors (TOURR project), and student mobility within the ENEN2Plus project. It was noted that there is a high demand for nuclear industry professionals worldwide (by 2050, the USA and EU plan to generate up to 150 GW of electricity from nuclear energy, requiring approximately half a million people to work in this field).

During the visit, a series of bilateral negotiations were conducted, during which further steps within the cooperation between ENEN, Karazin University, and other international institutions were agreed upon:

• Professor Luka Snoj, Head of the Reactor Physics Department at the Jožef Stefan Institute (Ljubljana, Slovenia), and Marylenne Bodour, Director of International Relations and Partnerships at ISTP (France), proposed short-term visits for Karazin University students to conduct practical projects. Gabriel Lazaro Pavel, Executive Director of ENEN, pointed out that such mobility could be financed within the ENEN2Plus program.
• Private companies AFRY (Stockholm, Sweden) and IPP Center (Kyiv, Ukraine) agreed to provide training for the Institute of Physics and Technology and explore the possibility of implementing dual education for senior students.
• Discussions with ENEN Project Manager Kateryna Pyliuhina centered around joint implementation of the project "WP2023–2025 Education, training, capacity building, and networking actions to strengthen Ukrainian and EU nuclear research."
• ENEN President Csilla Pesznyak agreed to fund a summer school on nuclear physics for high school students from Kharkiv.
• Discussions with Anastasiia Shapochkina, President of the private company Eastern Circles Think Tank, focused on joint participation in a project assessing the damage and needs of Ukrainian higher education institutions and research centers affected by the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
• Conversations with representatives of the Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN) explored the possibility of obtaining equipment for the laboratories of the Institute of Physics and Technology.
• Discussions with Jacek Gałęzowski from the Polish Nuclear Research Center (NCBJ) centered around the implementation of a project supporting teachers and researchers who were displaced due to the war.
• These agreements mark significant steps towards enhancing collaboration between ENEN, Karazin University, and other international institutions.