New geopolitical format C8: The Carpathians unite Europe, and Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic University joins in building the future!
On September 18–19, the historic founding Carpathian 8 Summit was held in Ukraine (Bukovel), which launched a new regional association – the «Carpathian Eight» (C8). Ukraine initiated this format, uniting eight states of the region around common goals: Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary.
The main goal of the C8 is to transform the Carpathian region from a periphery into a powerful space of security, logistics, energy independence and large-scale investments. Together, the G8 countries are a market of 126 million people with a combined GDP of about 3.5 trillion US dollars.
The summit brought together an unprecedented number of leaders and top officials of European scale. The event was opened by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. Among the key high-ranking officials who personally participated in the discussions:
– President of Romania Nicosor Dan
– Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms Raffaele Fitto
On the Ukrainian side, a powerful team of state leadership worked in Bukovel: Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky and key members of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, including the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Andriy Butenko.
The Zaporizhzhia region was worthily represented at the summit by the heads of the region – Mykhailo Semikin and Olena Zhuk.
Priority sectors and contribution of Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic:
Almost half of the funds raised will be directed to the energy sector (solar and wind generation, energy storage systems). Also in focus: industry, transport, logistics and infrastructure.
The Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University, with over a century of experience in training high-quality specialists in the energy, mechanical engineering, engineering and technology, economics and humanitarian fields, as well as powerful scientific potential, was actively involved in the work of the specialized sections of the summit.
Our university was represented by the Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work, Socio-Economic Development and Youth Policy Andriy Ivanchenko, as well as the Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering Mykola Antonov.
The summit program included a round table discussion «Carpathian Network of Energy Education. Energy: from skills shortages and skills gap to sustainable development»
This event brought together representatives of government agencies, academia, energy companies and international partners to discuss how the Carpathian region can strengthen cooperation in the areas of energy education, skills development and human resources, while supporting Ukraine’s urgent needs for recovery and its long-term integration into the European energy market.
Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic’s expertise in the areas of distributed generation, renewable energy, energy efficiency and modern mechanical engineering, transport and tourism is highly sought after for the implementation of ambitious investment projects enshrined in the Carpathian Declaration.
The roundtable resulted in the approval and signing of the Joint Statement on the establishment of the Carpathian Energy Education Network, a regional platform for long-term cooperation between governments, universities, energy companies, educational service providers and international partners. The joint statement identifies common priorities for cooperation and lays the foundation for the development of practical initiatives.
We are proud that the scientific community of our university is becoming a driver of major European changes and innovative renewal of Ukraine!
