On January 22-24, 2025, in the hybrid format, the kick-off meeting of the international project "Excellence Hub for a Smart Agriculture and Circular Bioeconomy Towards a Sustainable Agrifood Sector in Widening Countries (and Beyond)" (AGRI-BIOCIRCULAR-HUB), funded under the Horizon Europe program, was held in Poznan (Poland), which brought together more than 40 offline and 30 online participants from different countries.
The coordinator of this large-scale project is Lviv Polytechnic National University, the only higher educational institution in Ukraine coordinating the activities of 21 partners from Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Spain, and Belgium to create a network of excellence centers in agriculture and circular bioeconomy.
The AGRI-BIOCIRCULAR-HUB project (2025-2028) focuses on developing innovations, sustainable agriculture, and economic growth in partner countries. The main goal is to create a plan of activities, support local ecosystems, and engage businesses in circular technologies. The project pays special attention to cascade funding to support SMEs, introduce innovations in agriculture, create training programs, and organize mentoring sessions for farmers. The amount of funding received from the EU is €5,995,825.
The event was opened by the project coordinator, head of the Department of Ecology and Sustainable Resource Management at Lviv Polytechnic National University, Dr.Sc., and Prof. Myroslav Malovanyy. He emphasized: "Implementing this project will allow us to unite experts from different countries to create an effective platform that will facilitate the integration of advanced technologies into agriculture and offer new solutions for the sustainable development of the agri-sector."
The Vice-Rector for Academic and International Affairs at Lviv Polytechnic National University, Dr.Sc. Prof. Nataliya Chukhray delivered a welcoming speech, highlighting that the AGRI-BIOCIRCULAR-HUB project opens new opportunities for integrating innovation into the agrarian sector and strengthening connections between science and business.
Afterward, the Project Officer at the European Research Executive Agency, Dr. Vsevolod Samokhvalov, reported on the mechanisms for financing projects within the European Commission. During his speech, Vsevolod highly appreciated the quality, innovativeness, and potential of the AGRI-BIOCIRCULAR-HUB project and emphasized the importance not only of implementing the latest technologies but also of adhering to all standards of open science and communication strategy during the project implementation.
Other members of the project team from Lviv Polytechnic National University participated in the discussions: Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Department of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Engineering Volodymyr Zhuk; Dr.Sc., Associate Professor of the Department of Ecology and Sustainable Resource Management Ivan Tymchuk; Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Department of Automated Design Systems and the Head of the Project Office Nazariy Andrushchak.
In particular, the project manager of the AGRI-BIOCIRCULAR-HUB project and the moderator of the meeting, Dr. Nazariy Andrushchak, emphasized the importance of achieving the project goals, developing cooperation, and noted the high support in organizing the meeting to the management and employees of the Poznan University of Technology. “Initially, the kick-off meeting was supposed to be held in Lviv. However, due to active military actions in the russian-Ukrainian war, we were forced to hold this meeting in Poland,” - emphasized Nazariy Andrushchak.
In the next 2 days of the kick-off meeting, presentation and discussion sessions were held with the participation of project partners, where issues related to the development of the project strategy, further steps for creating an advisory network, strategic involvement of SMEs in operating laboratories, mentoring support for the development of local ecosystems in Ukraine were discussed. Another representative of the European Commission, Policy Officer Frederik Sondergaard, took part in the discussion of investment opportunities for the sustainable development of the agricultural sector in Ukraine, who emphasized the importance of supporting Ukrainian startups and research initiatives, especially in the context of the ongoing war.
During the final part of the kick-off meeting, participants agreed on the overall project plan for the next six months, established key deadlines, and outlined the main areas of collaboration.
The AGRI-BIOCIRCULAR-HUB project is a unique opportunity for Ukraine and other participating countries to develop sustainable agriculture, enhance innovation potential, and integrate into the European scientific community. Important work, new challenges, and ambitious results ahead!
