Representatives of the UkrNS participated in the NURECAB Working Meeting “Ukraine-EU Synergies for Nuclear Education and Training”

On March 6, 2025, Brussels (Belgium) hosted the next workshop of the NURECAB project, “Ukraine-EU Synergies for Nuclear Education and Training.” The meeting took place as part of the special ENEN event “Competence Development for the Sustainability of European Energy.”

The event covered key topics, including:

• Ukraine’s experience in maintaining nuclear education during wartime and the efforts of Ukrainian universities to sustain high-level training for specialists despite current challenges.
• Ukraine’s successful transition away from Russian nuclear fuel as a model for implementing European strategies to diversify supply sources.
• Prospects for the development of Ukraine’s nuclear industry and the workforce needed to support these initiatives.
• The transformation of the radiation and nuclear medicine sector in Ukraine and the challenges associated with its implementation, among others.

The working meeting was opened by Mykola Dziubynskyi, a representative of the European Commission’s EURATOM Program, along with event organizers Serhii Puhach (National Science Center “Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology”), coordinator of the EURATOM National Contact Point in Ukraine, and Kateryna Pilyuhina, Program Manager/Head of Nuclear Safeguards and Safety at ENEN.

At the invitation of the organizers, Tetiana Zakrevska, Head of the separate division of the Ukrainian Nuclear Society, established on the basis of the branch of “SS “Atomprojectengineering”, Head of the licensing division, design and technical management department SS “Atomprojectengineering” JSC “NNEGC “Energoatom“, gave a presentation of the company’s promising projects. In her speech, Tetiana Zakrevska provided an in-depth overview of plans for the construction of new nuclear power plant units, with a particular focus on the completion of Units 3 and 4 of the Khmelnytskyi NPP.

The event also saw participation from representatives of leading higher education institutions specializing in nuclear studies, who are also members of the NGO “UkrNS”:

• Pylyp Kuznetsov, Director of the Institute of Physics and Technology at V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, and
• Yevhen Novakivskyi, Associate Professor at the Department of Nuclear Energy, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.”

Additionally, representatives from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, including Ihor Kadenko, Head of the Department of Nuclear Physics, also took part. Among the event’s speakers were Dr. Georges Van Goethem (European Commission), Dr. Csilla Pesznyak (Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary), and Dr Paddy GILLIGAN (European Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics, Ireland), as well as Volodymyr Vashchyshyn (Ukrainian Association of Medical Physicists). Their presentations focused on the development of radiation and medical physics in Ukraine and the experience of creating training programs in medical physics within the EU.

A key part of the event was the presentation of research results from the NURECAB project, which analyzed the alignment of young nuclear professionals’ training in Ukraine with employer expectations and industry needs. The Ukrainian Nuclear Society played an active role in this research, conducting data collection and analysis among representatives of industrial enterprises, nuclear energy and industry companies, and organizations in the field of nuclear medicine.

Beyond presentations, the workshop included a discussion on European energy security support and the importance of Ukraine’s experience in developing the European nuclear sector.

As part of the ENEN special event “Competence Development for the Sustainability of European Energy,” an interactive exhibition was held, showcasing contributions from various companies and organizations within the nuclear sector to Education and Training programs aimed at developing professional skills. The Ukrainian Nuclear Society also participated in the exhibition, presenting its key activities and initiatives focused on supporting and advancing nuclear education in Ukraine.

*Participation in the events was made possible with the support of the NURECAB project (GA#101173510), funded by the European Union under the EURATOM program, Horizon Europe.