Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University, Ukraine

Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University (TVHNPU) is one of the leading centres of higher pedagogical education in Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian higher education institutions consolidated rating TVHNPU ranks first among pedagogical universities. During its functioning, the University has prepared more than 70 000 specialists for general secondary, professional, and higher education institutions. The University takes pride in its 65 full professors, 346 PhDs, 15 Doctors Honoris Causa, and Academic and Corresponding Members of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine. TVHNPU provides training programs in 89 fields for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.

In terms of international relations, the university follows four top-priority tasks: to increase the number of joint bilateral and/or multilateral international research projects, to increase the number of foreign students, to design programs for the double/joint degree diplomas, and to apply for capacity building and infrastructure projects aimed at modernization of the University. Research at TVHNPU covers a broad spectrum of disciplines and scientific fields, i.e.: i) Environmental Toxicology, ii) Ecological Biochemistry, iii) Adaptive Learning (personalized and adaptive learning platforms and tools); iv) Gaming (educational gaming/video games in education); v) Learning Materials (digital learning resources & e-textbooks); vi) Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality in Education; vii) AI and Machine Learning in Education; viii) Big Data in Education, ix) Psychological Mechanisms of Social   Environment Building Based on Gender Equality, x) Plant Biotechnology, xi) Inclusive Education, xii) Physical Rehabilitation.

University implemented several projects of the Tempus program (TEMPUS ELITE – “Education for Leadership, Intelligence and Talent Encouraging” and “Cross-media and Quality Journalism”) and Erasmus+ (Multi ERASMUS+ project, 2020-2022), MER+ MERE2030 EMJMD project (2020-2024)) with partners from Germany, Great Britain, Austria, Romania, Spain, Turkey, Moldova, and Ukraine.

The inclusive Recourse Centre established at the university aims to boost cooperation between educators, experts, researchers, civic activists, and donors. The Centre initiated the development of the Ternopil City Community Strategy on sustainability supported by the local administration. The strategy is in force since March 2020 and implies strengthening the alternative energy sharing within the energy balance of the region. University was recently involved in the international project “Green Economy” supported by a UNDP programmer in Ukraine. Within this initiative, the proper management of municipal waste, including biomass residues, was developed. As part of the project, the Faculty of Biology and Chemistry did initial research on the utilization of the biochar received from waste in the production cycle of the different crops.

University is involved in local social service. In cooperation with NGO Step by Step (Poland), the Educational and Rehabilitation Centre in Kremenets (Ternopil region), the number of training for specialists working on the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy was accomplished.

Since the beginning of the Great War faculty members and students are intensively involved in different volunteer services.   The Faculty of Chemistry and Biology is concerned with the current project proposal. It has its agricultural field where research on energy crops is provided, including 2 ha plantation of M×g and 1ha plantations of  Sida hermaphrodita, Phalaris arundinacea, and Sorghum spp., established in 2020. In 2021 the new Greenhouse was opened and equipped with modern devices for monitoring the plants’ development. The field and greenhouse will be offered for the research within the proposed project. However, the university is a shortage of modern equipment for providing analysis of the contaminants in the plant’s tissues and measuring the greenhouse gas balance. These devices are planned to purchase within the proposed project.