A German-Ukrainian academic network in the fields of power engineering, mechatronics, robotics and artificial intelligence – this is the goal of the MERIT-Ukraine project. An initial in-person meeting of project participants in the field of energy was held at Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) from 25 to 29 November 2025. Twenty-four professors from the national technical university Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI), the Lviv Polytechnic National University (LPNU) and the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding in Mykolaiv attended the workshop. Through the event, LUH continued the expansion of its research and teaching collaboration with Ukrainian universities. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering both took part.
The meeting highlighted both the differences and similarities between the two countries’ higher education systems. “The issues are similar, but there are different structures,” said Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernd Ponick of the LUH Institute of Drive Systems and Power Electronics, one of the hosts of the event. For example, university studies in Ukraine involve smaller groups of students and far fewer elective options but a larger number of specialised degree programmes, making them more similar to secondary school than in Germany. The German system, in contrast, offers more elective subjects and encourages students to be more independent.
In addition to research visits for doctoral candidates, new formats are now being planned for project-based study in international student teams. This will give Ukrainian and German students the opportunity to share their experiences and to apply their knowledge and skills to complex real-world problems. During the Capstone project, students from both countries will be expected to conduct research or practical work, which will generate networking opportunities. At the end of the project, they will implement and demonstrate the solutions they have developed in a practical setting. Lecture content and innovative teaching concepts will also be shared.
To keep the project moving forward, LUH will organise regular exchange on various subject-related topics in small-group video conferences starting in January. The topics covered will include electric power grids, electric energy storage systems, electric drive systems and turbomachinery. For the Ukrainian partners, the focus will be on exchanging information on teaching concepts and developing or updating English-language modules.
The basis for the MERIT-Ukraine project is a new programme started by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The German-Ukrainian University Network is intended to consolidate and intensify cooperation between German and Ukrainian universities. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR, formerly the Federal Ministry of Education and Research) is providing the programme with a total of 24 million euros in funding until 2029.
The Mechatronics, Energy, Robotics and Innovation Technologies with Ukraine (MERIT-Ukraine) project aims to establish lasting academic cooperation with KPI and LPNU. The initiative focuses on building a stable academic network in the fields of power engineering, mechatronics, robotics and artificial intelligence in order to support post-war reconstruction and the integration of Ukraine in the European education area.
