Редакція dev.uaAround IT
20 October 2026, 17:11
2026-10-20
From education to technology career: PolyTECH Summit 2026 was held at UNIT.City
On October 17, the UNIT.City innovation park hosted PolyTECH Summit 2026, the final event of the national educational and innovation project PolyTECH Project. Over 300 students from 35 educational institutions representing Kyiv and 14 regions of Ukraine met with educators, business and government representatives to discuss the future of technological education, present their own developments, and find opportunities for professional development in Ukraine.
On October 17, the UNIT.City innovation park hosted PolyTECH Summit 2026, the final event of the national educational and innovation project PolyTECH Project. Over 300 students from 35 educational institutions representing Kyiv and 14 regions of Ukraine met with educators, business and government representatives to discuss the future of technological education, present their own developments, and find opportunities for professional development in Ukraine.
PolyTECH Project unites Ukrainian technical and polytechnic institutions of higher education, companies and experts around the development of engineering education and innovation. Its goal is to help young people see opportunities for technological careers in Ukraine and strengthen education with practical experience and business expertise.
This year, the project combined three components: a five-week PolyTECH EDU educational program, practical intensive PolyTECH Bootcamps in Lviv and Kyiv, and the final PolyTECH Summit at UNIT.City. This sequence allowed participants to go from acquiring new knowledge to working on real company tasks and presenting their own ideas.
"By developing ourselves, we develop Ukraine. Every new skill, every idea, every collaboration between a university and a company that is born in such halls becomes a brick of the country that we are rebuilding right now. We are not waiting for better times. We are looking for opportunities here and now. And we find them," said Pavlo Mykhailiuk, Development Director of UNIT.City.
From online learning to practice in Lviv and Kyiv
The educational part of the project — PolyTECH EDU — included 19 full-length lectures in four areas: Tech & Engineering, Creative Thinking & Marketing, Artificial Intelligence, and Career & Self Development. Participants developed technical skills, got acquainted with artificial intelligence tools, worked on creative thinking, and prepared for their first career steps.
The training continued with PolyTECH Bootcamps — two-day practical intensives in Lviv and Kyiv, organized in collaboration with companies. Students worked on real business cases, applied the acquired knowledge, and got acquainted with the approaches and tasks of future employers.
A separate area of work was the roundtables with the participation of representatives of universities and businesses. They were dedicated to bringing education closer to the needs of the labor market and developing further steps for cooperation.
Universities, business and government at one table
Representatives of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Kyiv School of Economics, American University in Kyiv, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv Aviation Institute, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, NTU "Dnipro Polytechnic", National University "Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic" and other educational institutions met at the PolyTECH Summit 2026.
The central topic of the Summit was the interaction of education with the real sector of the economy: how to bring the training of specialists closer to the needs of employers, support student initiatives, and create conditions under which young people will see their professional future in Ukraine.
The summit was opened by Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Mykola Trofymenko and Director of Ecosystem Development of UNIT.City Pavlo Mykhailiuk.
"Young people are choosing engineering, technology, and professions that will rebuild Ukraine. And our common task is to ensure that everyone who enters university today sees that here, in Ukraine, real tasks, strong teams, and a real career await them," emphasized Mykola Trofymenko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine.
The panel discussion was joined by Olga Klochkova, a state expert of the expert group on the development of knowledge-intensive innovations of the Directorate of Innovations and Relations of Science with the Real Sector of the Economy of the Ministry of Education and Science, Igor Nikitenko, Vice-Rector for Scientific, Pedagogical and Educational Work of NTU "Dniprovska Polytechnic", and Volodymyr Shynkarenko, Head of Brand Development and Innovations of OMD Optimum Media Ukraine.
Student startups and expert experience
The EDU & Startup Stage summed up the results of the four directions of PolyTECH EDU. Executive Director of AI House Vitaliy Rozman, Head of External Education of Genesis Oleksandra Turkalova and Creative Director of idealer$ creaffective agency Kyrylo Chistyakov shared their experience. The speeches covered the topics of artificial intelligence, creative thinking and professional development.
A separate part of the program was the pitching of student startups. The teams presented their projects to the jury, which included Maria Krasnoshchok from EU4Innovation East, Oksana Yashchenko from Credit Agricole Bank Ukraine, and Yevhen Pylypenko from General Chereshnya.
Dating that could be the start of a career
In the Career Zone, participants talked with company representatives and learned about career opportunities. The Business Stage, EDU & Startup Stage, Career Zone, and Lounge combined discussions, experience sharing, and informal communication between students, educators, and businesses.
PolyTECH Summit 2026 was the culmination of a season of collaboration — from online lectures and practical intensives to university-employer dialogue. The summit became a space where participants could present their own ideas, find like-minded people and partners, and take the next step towards a technology career in Ukraine.
Organizers: UNIT.City with the assistance of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Partner bank: Crédit Agricole Bank Partners: EU4Innovation East, General Chereshnya, Vodafone Ukraine, Bolt Ecosystem partner: EUNITED Digital Hub Startup partner: Win-Win EDIH Partner that treats:
