Participation of Zaporizhia Polytechnic National University in the Smart Industry Mission

On October 7–9, Zaporizhia Polytechnic National University took an active part in the Smart Industry Mission to the city of Brno (Czech Republic) – an event that combined a visit to the International Machine-Building Fair MSV 2025, the mini-conference “Smart Industry Ukraine” and visits to Czech digital innovation hubs (EDIH).

The officially invited participants included 12 representatives of Ukrainian institutions. Zaporizhia Polytechnic University was represented by the Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work and Issues of Prospective Development, Head of ZP EDIH Ruslan Kulikovsky and Professor of the Department of Economics and Customs, Director of the Zaporizhia Cluster EAM (Engineering–Automation–Machinery) Andriy Karpenko.

The mission was organized by the CzechInno Association with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Kyiv, as well as the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic within the framework of the PROPED 2025 program.

The key goal of the delegation was to publicly present Ukrainian Industry 4.0 practices at the mini-conference “Smart Industry Ukraine” on October 8 at the National Exhibition of Ukraine. Reports were presented on the state of Ukrainian automation and artificial intelligence, the application of industrial technologies for defense, as well as updates on the development of Ukrainian Industry 4.0.

In the thematic segment on Ukrainian EDIHs, Ruslan Kulikovsky (ZP EDIH) presented his services and opportunities for cooperation with Czech partners, and Andriy Karpenko outlined trends in Ukrainian Industry 4.0.

The Mission itself was structured to maximally combine familiarity with the ecosystem of the Czech “smart industry” and the first practical steps for further cooperation. After the organizational meetings at MSV 2025, the participants went to EDIH DIGIMAT and the CEITEC BUT test benches, where they examined the elements of “smart manufacturing” and discussed points of intersection for joint projects and demonstrations.

The next day, the program was dedicated to getting acquainted with the EDIH Cybersecurity Innovation Hub and the CyberRangeCZ cyber polygon – a platform for working out scenarios for increasing the cyber resilience of industrial enterprises. The final discussion was held at CyberCampusCZ and agreement on further steps for interaction. In parallel, the mission integrated individual presence at key venues of the fair — from the Digital Factory 2.0 section to targeted expositions of Czech EDIHs.

For Zaporizhia Polytechnic National University, participation in the event became a platform for the rapid convergence of two innovation ecosystems — the regional engineering school of Ukraine and the mature Czech EDIH infrastructure. University representatives proposed several vectors of further action: coordination of “test-before-invest” demonstrations for Zaporizhia enterprises at the stands of Czech partners; joint educational formats; exchange of experts to work out typical production cases; preparation of applications for EU grant instruments with the involvement of Ukrainian and Czech EDIHs as co-implementers.

Working together – developing together!