Participation of students of Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University in international academic mobility
During the spring semester of 2025–2026 academic year, students of the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University Dmytro Chernenko (M–614) and Kyrylo Filipenkov (KNT–615m) studied under the academic mobility program at the De Nayer campus of the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. Cooperation between the Catholic University of Leuven and the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University in the field of academic mobility has been ongoing since 2015. The mutual exchange of students, teachers, and administrative staff became possible thanks to an interinstitutional agreement between the universities. During this time, 32 higher education students of Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic University studied and underwent internships at KU Leuven. The coordinator of the academic mobility project from KU Leuven is Halyna Tabunshchyk, professor at the Department of Software. We invite students of Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic University to join international academic mobility programs. Information about current opportunities is available on the university website: https://zp.edu.ua/international-activities/academic-mobility/.
We suggest you read Kyrylo Filipenkov’s impressions of studying at KU Leuven:
Hello! My name is Kyrylo Filipenkov, I am a student of the Department of Computer Systems and Networks of Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University. I spent the spring semester of 2026 in Belgium, studying under the Erasmus+ academic mobility program at KU Leuven — the oldest university in the country and one of the leading research universities in Europe.
My home for six months was the De Nayer campus of the Faculty of Engineering Technology in Sint-Kateleyne-Waver, between Brussels and Antwerp. I admit: I hesitated for a long time, even after submitting the documents – leaving home was not easy, but it was a unique experience.
Belgium is a compact country, slightly larger than our Zaporizhzhia region. It has a high standard of living and developed infrastructure. I was especially impressed by the cycling infrastructure. This is also a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the history of old Europe, because Belgian cities have preserved it at every step: medieval Bruges and Ghent, port Antwerp, and next to the campus – ancient Mechelen. It is only a few hours by train to Paris or Amsterdam.
Belgians are friendly people who speak excellent English, so there is practically no language barrier in everyday life, at least I didn’t feel it.
To those who hesitate, I will say simply: you are unlikely to be perfectly prepared – just think about whether you will have such an opportunity when you graduate. If you sometimes read and watch videos in English – that is enough, and you will catch up on the rest on the spot. You will be helped at every stage – both by colleagues from your home university and from the Belgian side.
In 2021, there was quarantine, in 2022, there was a full-scale war that continues to this day. During all this time, my colleagues and I, at best, studied in person for only 1–2 semesters with interruptions, and, frankly, I didn’t think it was such a problem. Therefore, to again feel that you regularly physically need to go somewhere and be among other people was unusual, but very useful. And the opportunity to directly interact with the equipment is generally priceless: this is another opportunity that we lost due to distance learning.
At KU Leuven I chose four disciplines: Real-time Embedded Design, Embedded Algorithm Optimization, Information Management and Student project. In Real-time Embedded Design we designed real-time systems — from the theory of task scheduling and real-time operating systems to laboratory work on real equipment. The result was a project to build an image contour detection pipeline (Gaussian filter + Sobel operator) that works in real time on an embedded platform.
Embedded Algorithm Optimization taught us to look at algorithms through the eyes of hardware: error theory, computational complexity, code optimization for tight memory and power constraints. Information Management covered the design of information systems and working with data.
The topic of the Student project is optimizing the performance of neural networks on embedded systems. In short: modern image processing networks «do not fit» in the memory of small devices, so the order of calculations has to be carefully planned. I developed a tool that automatically finds this order and shows the best compromises between the amount of memory on the chip and data exchange.
The result was a defense of the project in front of the research group and a draft of a future scientific article, prepared in co-authorship with the supervisors.Finally, I would like to thank the people who made this exchange possible. From my home university — Larisa Mykolaivna Duyko, Halyna Volodymyrivna Tabunshchyk, Iryna Yakovna Zelenova, Mariia Yuriivna Tyagunova and the dean’s office of the KST, who accompanied me at all stages — from submitting the application to returning. If after this text you feel like trying — please contact them. I would like to express my special gratitude to Petro Arras, who provided support and guidance during my studies at KU Leuven, and Steven Colleman — my scientific supervisor of the research project.
Erasmus+ is not a «vacation in Europe», but intensive work with elements of tourism, which returns a hundredfold: professional contacts, self-confidence and a clear understanding of where to grow next.
I sincerely recommend this experience to every student of our department. Good luck!
