An IT space has opened at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. The new location will become a place for learning and collaboration between students, scientists, entrepreneurs, and IT specialists. The project was financially supported by the NIX IT team.
An IT space has opened at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. The new location will become a place for learning and collaboration between students, scientists, entrepreneurs, and IT specialists. The project was financially supported by the NIX IT team.
The new IT space consists of four classrooms, which are actually research laboratories where students can master popular technical areas:
The project is impressive in its scale: as a shelter, the space can accommodate up to 300 people, and as an educational center, it is designed for simultaneous study of 100 students.
The renovation and arrangement of the hub has been ongoing since the end of 2024, and the official opening took place this year in April. All premises are equipped with computers, a modern ventilation system, fire alarm and gas fire extinguishing system, and even anti-radiation protection. The space is also planned to be equipped with multimedia systems for recording stable video broadcasts and holding events with the participation of students and teachers from other universities in Kharkiv and other cities, along with representatives of IT businesses and startups.
The main goal is to provide young people with a convenient and safe place to study and practice offline, thanks to the new hub, as this directly affects the quality of the knowledge gained.
Dmytro Uzlov, Director of the Institute of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence of the V.N. Karazin KhNU : "Current students are forced to study mostly online: first two years of the pandemic, now the third year of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Some of them have not seen each other in person at all during this time. Therefore, when we first started building this space, students asked almost every day: "When will we be able to get together?". Now I see how much they enjoy both meetings and joint learning. We will gradually get used to our hub and are already planning to hold various events with students, they are willing to join in organizing events. Of course, everything will be related to IT."
On the basis of the safe space in Karazinsky, they plan to hold workshops, lectures, research sessions, and Olympiads, continues Dmytro Uzlov. For traditional classes, they will retain a single configuration of premises, furniture, and equipment, and, for example, for esports competitions and other mass events, the space will be able to be quickly transformed to suit the format of the event and the desired equipment for the audience.
"Undoubtedly, offline is better than online. Our team is convinced of this once again, continuing to cooperate with universities. Collaboration, brainstorming, live communication with mentors, practicing IT professionals, sometimes jokes and the ease in which students study their favorite specialty - all this best contributes to the development of future IT specialists. Virtually, it is quite difficult to strengthen soft skills, not to mention mastering new skills. That is why it is valuable for us at NIX to help universities build innovative and, which is no less important in this time, safe educational spaces. From now on, there is such a place in Karazinsky. We are confident that this hub will create an excellent base for effective interaction between students, teachers and IT industry practitioners, and will also allow beginners to choose the appropriate specialty and grow in this direction to the level of a professional. And we, as employers, will look forward to welcoming them to the ranks of NIX."
The university also believes that such a training format cannot be organized without the help of the IT business. On the one hand, companies are able to help with equipment, special programs, that is, take on the technical side of the issue.
On the other hand, IT students can become mentors in university projects and accompany students throughout the semester. Karazinsky has been cooperating with NIX for many years using this same scheme. The team's technical experts update curricula in individual areas of training, conduct lectures and workshops, and share with those who are just "entering" IT their practical experience in developing and testing IT products. So, even during their studies, students understand all the nuances of working, whether in a startup or in a large company, and are equally ready for different tasks.
Oleksiy Rubel: "Thanks to close cooperation with universities, we are not only thinking about the future of Ukrainian IT, we are creating it here and now - we invest resources in such educational hubs, invest our own time and expertise for the high-quality training of future personnel. And in order for this quality to meet the demands of the IT industry, it is worth knowing what is good in it that is important for us to preserve and support, and what should be introduced and developed in the future. As part of the IT community of Ukraine, we are ready to play one of the leading roles in the new image of our technical education and do everything necessary to improve it, including investing time and money in joint projects with educational institutions."
The Knicks have repeatedly supported university initiatives, and not only in Kharkiv. Poltava universities and vocational colleges have also joined the collaboration with the IT community.
