On 24 October 2025, the official opening of the Centre for Support of Local Policies in Climate Neutrality and Energy Development took place. The Centre was established at Leonid Yuzkov Khmelnytskyi University of Management and Law.
This event holds particular significance for Khmelnytskyi National University (KhNU), as the university is an active participant in the Horizon Europe-funded project, U_CAN: "Ukraine on the way to Carbon Neutrality."
KhNU was represented at the opening by Kateryna Skyba, Vice-Rector for Academic and Research Work (and U_CAN Project Manager for KhNU), and Oleh Syniuk, Vice-Rector for Research Work (and U_CAN Project Participant).
Greeting speeches were delivered by Oleh Omelchuk, Rector of Khmelnytskyi University of Management and Law, and Mykola Vavryshchuk, Deputy Khmelnytskyi City Mayor. They emphasised the importance of the newly created Centre, whose mission is to establish effective interaction between universities, government bodies, educational institutions, public organisations, and international partners to implement innovative management solutions. These solutions aim to facilitate the transition of communities to climate neutrality, promote the development of sustainable energy, and enhance energy efficiency.
Swati Kulshreshtha, Project Coordinator and Research Associate at the Knowledge Architecture Laboratory of Dresden University of Technology, spoke about the specifics of the U_CAN project. Inna Shevchuk, U_CAN Project Head for Leonid Yuzkov Khmelnytskyi University of Management and Law, presented the Centre's main goals and expected results, stressing that conditions for real change are created precisely through partnerships between universities, local authorities, and communities.
The U_CAN project is designed to demonstrate how adaptive urban transport management and the use of modern IT technologies can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the urban environment. The project’s activities encompass research, experience exchange, and capacity building for local authorities to implement climate policy. U_CAN's key objectives include developing local climate strategies, identifying decarbonisation priorities, establishing city partnerships, and launching pilot initiatives in sustainable mobility and CO₂ reduction.
The discussion involved representatives of Khmelnytskyi City Council: Vladyslav Pukas (Head of the Department of Ecology and Improvement Control); Dmytro Leskiv (Head of the Energy Management Division); Inna Palii (Head of the Investment Policy and International Cooperation Division); and Ivan Pidopryhora (Head of the "Smart Environment Khmelnytskyi" Office).
Representatives from the project’s pilot cities also joined the event: Yuriy Polyanskyi (Lviv), Olena Khan (Kyiv), Maryna Kuznetsova (Zhytomyr), and Artur Voronych (Ivano-Frankivsk). They shared their experiences in implementing climate initiatives, discussed current challenges, and the initial results of solutions implemented at the local level.
Kateryna Skyba, in turn, presented the U_CAN pilot project, which is being executed by Khmelnytskyi National University for the city of Khmelnytskyi. This project aims to develop a smart transport management system that reduces CO₂ emissions, underscoring the university's active role in shaping local climate neutrality policy.2, що підкреслює активну роль університету у формуванні місцевої політики кліматичної нейтральності.
The opening of the Centre for Support of Local Policies in Climate Neutrality and Energy Development marks a significant step in fostering partnerships among academic institutions, local authorities, and communities. Such cooperation opens new opportunities for the practical implementation of climate solutions and the transition of Ukrainian cities towards sustainable development. Khmelnytskyi National University will continue to facilitate initiatives that help communities move towards a climate-neutral future.