Anatolii Mazaraki – Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor, Rector of KNUTE;

Mikael Lindström – PhD, Professor, Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health of KTH.

Lecturers, graduate students and researchers of KTH, lecturers and students of KNUTE, participants from both universities involved to the Project implementation were also present at the meeting:

Representatives of KTH-Royal Institute of Technology:

Olena Sevastyanova, PhD, Docent, Wallenberg Wood Science Center,  Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology (KTH coordinator of the Project);

Ievgen Pylypchuk, PhD, postdoctoral researcher, Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology;

Huisi Li, MSc, doctoral student, CSC scholarship holder (China), Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology.

Representatives of Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics:

Nataliia Prytulska – Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, First Vice-Rector of KNUTE, President of Ukrainian Society of Commodity Science and Technology;

Taras Karavayev – Doctor of Technical Sciences, Associate professor, Professor of commodity science and customs affairs department (KNUTE coordinator of the Project);

Bohdan Pasalskyi – PhD in Chemistry, Associate professor of Commodity Science, Safety and Quality Management Department;

Nadiia Chykun – Senior Lecturer of Commodity Science, Safety and Quality Management Department;

Elizaveta Kaika – student of Trade and Marketing Faculty, member of the scientific society of students, PhD students, doctoral researcher and young scientists of KNUTE.

Bohdan Barmin – student of Trade and Marketing Faculty, Head of the scientific club “Start in Science”.

The meeting started with the acquaintance of the participants, who were introduced by the Project coordinators from both HEE. Sevastyanova O. presented participants from KTH, and Karavayev T. – from KNUTE.

After the welcoming speech of the rector Anatolii Mazaraki, the participants of the meeting had the opportunity to watch a film about KNUTE.

Mikael Lindström gave a presentation highlighting the basic information about KTH, its structure, number of students, famous alumni, position in world rankings, other general information about KTH, and focused on the activities of headed by him the School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health.

Coordinators from both universities presented information about the Project to the meeting participants. T. Karavayev presented the purpose, main tasks and described the activities carried in the frame of the Project. O. Sevastyanova presented the plan of activities and the main stages of the Project implementation for 2021.

The project aim: to promote internationalization in the field of higher education and research; to establish and deepen international cooperation between KNUTE and KTH through the realization of the Project plan. The Project is financed by the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education and Research - STINT (total project budget is 150 000 SEK).

During the general discussion, the Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health of KTH, Professor Mikael Lindström, proposed to expand the areas of possible cooperation between KTH and KNTEU and to start an exchange of PhD students. This proposal aroused interest and consultations have already begun for searching possible areas of joint research that both universities are interested in.

The meeting participants have the same aspiration to meet directly at both universities. We look forward for solving situation with global COVID-19 pandemic and opening borders. This will allow mutual exchanges of lecturers, scientists and researchers of both universities in the framework of the joint Project “Innovative composite materials based on the biopolymers and mineral fillers”. Internationalization in higher education is the main goal of the Swedish STINT Foundation projects.

The meeting was constructive. Based on the meeting results, a protocol was prepared, which will be sent to the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education and Research (STINT).

P.S. This is not the first joint project implemented by scientists of KNUTE and KTH-Royal Institute of Technology (KTH, Stockholm, Sweden). The cooperation has already started in 2006 within the framework of the Tempus project "University Management in the Context of the European Higher Education Area".