Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic at ISC2026 in Dortmund, Germany
On September 14–18, a delegation from Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University participated in the International Summer Convention (ISC) 2026, held at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts (FH Dortmund) in Germany.
The forum brought together 160 representatives from 45 institutions across 20 countries. The event’s program combined hands-on training with research activities: seminars on artificial intelligence in education, ORCAthon 2026 dedicated to digital learning materials, lab tours, and meetings aimed at fostering scientific collaboration.
The opening ceremony took place in the Compressor Hall of the former Hansa coking plant (Kokerei Hansa) in Dortmund — a unique venue for large-scale events. Forum participants were welcomed by Tamara Appel, Rector of FH Dortmund; Stefan Weyers, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Research, and International Relations; and representatives of the Dortmund city administration. During Gallery Walk event, representatives of Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University — Tetyana Solovyova, Nataliia Furmanova, Andrii Parkhomenko, Anastasiia Zerkal, Oleksandr Malyi, Oleksii Kuzkin, Andrii Karpenko, Halyna Tabunschyk, Anzhelika Parkhomenko, Kateryna Antoniuk, and Dmytro Antoniuk presented the university’s research and educational projects, programs, and areas of activity.
On September 14–15, faculty members from Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic University actively participated in ORCAthon project events, working in international teams. The teams were formed during online meetings held in preparation for ORCAthon to collaboratively develop new open educational resources. Our graduate students and undergraduates Vladilen Borolis, Serhii Tabunschyk, Kostiantyn Barnyak, and Illia Parkhomenko joined international student teams and presented the results of their virtual cross-border innovation projects in the field of sustainable development to the jury via an online format.
On September 18, university representatives took part in a working meeting of the Project and Innovation Management for Ukraine (UA4PIM) project team, which is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as part of German-Ukrainian University Network (DUHN) program. Carsten Wolff, Director of the IDiAL Institute (FH Dortmund) and Honorary Professor at Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic, presented the current status of the development of new educational modules and outlined the main directions for further work.
ISC2026 also hosted a regular working meeting of representatives from two Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic projects — UA4PIM and TANDEM-UA-DE (Teaching and Administration Network for Double Degree Education and Mobility—Ukraine and Germany) — which are being implemented as part of DUHN, with the participation of their coordinators – Professor Kateryna Antoniuk and Professor Dmytro Antoniuk.
A key event of the week was the initial meeting of participants in the new ReSE-Lab research project (2026–2029), funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) as part of German-Ukrainian scientific cooperation for sustainable recovery. Along with Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University, FH Dortmund and the Western Ukrainian National University (Ternopil) are participating in the project. Project coordinators Professor Carsten Wolf (FH Dortmund) and Associate Professor Anzhelika Parkhomenko (Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University) presented the project’s objectives, financial plan, timeline, key milestones, and work packages.
For the third time, the ISC International Summer Forum has served as a central platform for developing long-standing partnerships and deepening international cooperation in various areas, as internationalization is a key focus of our university’s activities.
