The Council of Young Scientists held an international conference, a doctoral student day, and a regional meeting in two days

On May 13–14, a number of events organized by the Council of Young Scientists took place at Uzhhorod University. The Third International Scientific Conference “Scientific Horizons of the 21st Century: Multidisciplinary Research” brought together about 250 participants from different regions of Ukraine, as well as Poland, Slovakia, Georgia, and Argentina. The EURODOC Doctoral Student Day and a regional meeting of young scientists of the Transcarpathian region were also organized within the framework of the scientific forum.

"Scientific Horizons" in 2026: plenary reports on scientific problems, the use of AI, grant opportunities for young researchers

The International Conference of Young Scientists has been held by the Council of Young Scientists since 2022 with the support of partners from Ukrainian and foreign universities and organizations. In the first years, the scientific event dealt with issues of open science, and the expansion of the issues later led to a change in the name. However, this did not affect the tradition: for the fifth time, the event brings together Ukrainian and foreign researchers who share the results of scientific research.

The participants of the scientific forum were welcomed by the Vice-Rector for Scientific Work Ivan Myronyuk, emphasizing that the conference is special because it is organized by young scientists of the university: "The program is powerful, serious in volume - about 50 pages. 12 sections confirm multidisciplinarity. It is nice that scientists from universities in Ukraine and our friendly countries have the opportunity to present their scientific achievements. I pursue a policy of maximum support for youth science at Uzhhorod University, because the future lies behind it."

On behalf of the Council of Young Scientists under the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, its chairwoman Anastasia Simakhova addressed the audience: "I would like to thank the UzhNU Council of Young Scientists for including us in this scientific event every year, as well as for the opportunity to hold the EURODOC Doctoral Student Day during the conference. This is a very significant event for us. Today, young scientists influence political decisions, changes in the education and science system of Ukraine. The Council of Young Scientists under the Ministry of Education and Science has joined the implementation of Ukraine's roadmap for the European Research Area. It is very important for us that the scientific decisions and scientific results of young scientists are implemented."

The opening of the conference and the plenary session were moderated by the head of the UzhNU Regional Council of Education and Science, Tetyana Harapko. The deputy head of the UzhNU Regional Council of Education and Science and the first deputy head of the Regional Council of Education and Science at the MES and UzhNU, Taras Hryadil, also delivered a welcoming speech.

Researchers from various fields, from universities in Ukraine and abroad were invited to the plenary session. For example, professors from UzhNU Maria Mendzhul and Igor Todorov gave reports on the participation of young scientists in multidisciplinary cross-border scientific research, focusing on modern challenges for Ukrainian science.

Presentations with the results of participation in international projects were given by Oleg Lysak, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Renewable Energy of the NAS of Ukraine, and Antonina Bulyna, PhD, Deputy Head of the Department of International Relations of UzhNU. In particular, Mr. Oleg presented the educational results and prospects for the development of a digital STEM laboratory on energy efficiency of buildings. Antonina Bulyna presented a study on dignity in the context of cross-border relations. And part of the report on the international project "Bridgers to Belonging: Integrating Ukrainian Students in European Heis" was prepared with Jorge R. Lemos Schlotter, Professor of the Catholic University of Salta, with whom she supervised student groups during the project.

The discussion was sparked by Taras Hryadil's speech on the use of artificial intelligence in scientific research. The researcher raised the issue of "red lines" between technological assistance and ethical abuses in the process of writing and reviewing scientific papers. The Deputy Chairman of the RMV believes that the quality of a scientific article today depends not only on the analytical processing of data, but also on how skillfully the scientist uses AI. Significant challenges in this context remain hallucinations, fakeness, violation of confidentiality, and the loss of a human perspective on innovation.

Also at the plenary session, an associate professor from the Kharkiv Pedagogical University named after G.S. Skovoroda, deputy head of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Tetyana Koptyeva, delivered a report “The structure of the two-tiered nature of anthropogenic landscapes.” And the director of the Metrological Educational and Publishing Center, National Scientific Center “Institute of Metrology” Iryna Mel, in her presentation, emphasized the improvement of the qualifications of specialists as a significant element of continuing education and spoke about the activities of the Institute of Metrology in wartime.

Sectional sessions were held on both days of the conference. The sessions were chaired by the heads of the Councils of Young Scientists from various faculties of UzhNU. The full program can be found here .

EURODOC Day in Ukraine was held for the first time at UzhNU

Uzhhorod University became the first higher education institution in Ukraine to hold a EURODOC day. This is a European council of doctoral students and young researchers, which operates in different countries of Europe and advocates for positive changes, support for young people in the early stages of their careers. At the event, doctoral students and young researchers were introduced to European standards for PhD training, discussed the development of a scientific career, expanding opportunities for international academic mobility, and the integration of Ukrainian researchers into the European research space. EURODOC is composed of two delegates from each country, representing national organizations of scientists. From Ukraine, these are young people from the Council of Young Scientists.

The participants of the information day were welcomed by the Head of the Department of Training and Certification of Scientific Personnel of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Olena Voronyuk, President of EURODOC Nikola Dengo, Vice-Rector for Scientific Work of UzhNU Ivan Myronyuk, Head of the Regional Research Center at the MES Anastasia Simakhova, Head of the Regional Research Center at UzhNU Tetyana Garapko, and Head of the Educational and Scientific Center for Training and Certification of Highly Qualified Personnel Tetyana Malakhovska. The meeting was moderated by the Deputy Head of the Regional Research Center at the MES and UzhNU Taras Hryadil.

Those present discussed a number of problematic issues faced by young researchers: recognition of doctoral students' qualifications, protection of academic freedom, investment in research, etc. In particular, the issue of protecting the rights and interests of doctoral students at the European level was raised in their speeches by Nikola Dengo and Taras Hryadil.

Consultant of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, coordinator of the Office of Scientist Support Alisa Sukhikh made a presentation on the possibilities of the EURODOC platform in the integration of Ukrainian young scientists into the European Research Area. Also, the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Education and Science for International Affairs Eldar Veremchuk spoke about the possibilities of international cooperation as a tool for academic integration of Ukrainian PhD researchers and young scientists. Another Deputy Head of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Tetyana Koptyeva shared her experience of participating in international projects. Reports on postgraduate studies as a school of thought and a path for the career development of a young scientist were presented by PhD candidate, teacher from Zaporizhzhia Yevgeny Melikhov and consultant of the Ministry of Education and Science Oleksandr Berezko.

Regional meeting of young scientists in Transcarpathia

During the second day of the conference, a regional meeting of young scientists of the Transcarpathian region was also held. It was initiated by the Council of Young Scientists at the Ministry of Education and Science to discuss current requests from researchers. Then, the head of the Council of Young Scientists at the Ministry of Education and Science, Anastasia Simakhova, joined the meeting remotely. The meeting was moderated by Taras Hryadil, who prepared a presentation on the activities of the Uzhniv Council, highlighting the problems that scientists face. In particular, he informed about the lack of funding for the Council, which directly affects the results of its activities. Despite this, young scientists hold various events, the most important of which is the international conference. Taras Hryadil has repeatedly appealed to various state structures with a proposal to support or encourage young people. In particular, he proposed introducing a prize for scientists at the city or regional level. However, so far, the initiatives have not been heeded.

Professor and head of the scientific society "Science of the Future" of Mukachevo State University, Tetyana Molnar, was also invited to the meeting. She informed about the initiatives launched at the university, in which students and teachers are involved. She expressed hope for fruitful cooperation between young people from Moscow State University and UzhNU during the merger.

In the discussion part after the speeches, the participants discussed some issues that may arise during the unification, in particular, the election of delegates to represent all educational units in the RMV, and the search for ways to finance youth science. Anastasia Simakhova reported on the prepared appeal to the Ministry of Education and Science with a request to oblige universities to allocate 0.5% of the special fund for the development of RMV.

The regional meeting ended with a presentation of gratitude to the Council of Young Scientists of UzhNU, Taras Hryadil and Tetyana Kopteva for their active activities and assistance in organizing the EURODOC Day - from the Council of Young Scientists at the Ministry of Education and Science.

Traditionally, based on the results of the international conference, young scientists are preparing a collection of materials, which will be published this summer. The heads of faculty councils are involved in working on the parts, compiled according to the sections. Conference participants will also receive certificates.

The UzhNU Regional Scientific and Research Council, together with the Council under the Ministry of Education and Science, organizes and constantly participates in events for young scientists. Now everyone is invited to the EURODOC conference in Budapest on June 24–26 ( registration ) and the National Forum on Open Science and Promotion of Research Evaluation on June 4–6 ( registration ).

Source: https://www.uzhnu.edu.ua/uk/news/mizhnarodnu-konferentsiyu-den-doktoranta-i-regionalnu-zustrich.htm