The “Young Teacher’s Oscar” contest has launched in the Cherkasy region.

The “Young Teacher’s Oscar” contest has launched in the Cherkasy region.

30 January 2026 

In the Cherkasy region, a competition focused on the implementation of STEM and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies—titled “Young Teacher’s Oscar”—has been launched for educators with up to 5 years of experience. The initiative aims to support the professional growth of young teachers and promote innovative approaches in education. The competition is co-organized by the Cherkasy Regional Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education (under the Cherkasy Regional Council), the “Foundation for Educational Initiatives” Charitable Foundation, and the “Professional Association of Educators” NGO.

The competition features two categories: “Youth Olympus” (for educators with 1 to 3 years of experience) and “Code of Mastery” (for educators with 4 to 5 years of experience). So far, 14 young educators from the Cherkasy region have registered.

The first stage will run until March 30, 2026. Participants are tasked with preparing materials that showcase their professional expertise and innovative teaching approaches. These may include video clips of lessons, original methodological materials, digital educational resources, and examples of using interactive, STEM-oriented, and AI-based technologies. Submissions should demonstrate the ability to integrate modern technologies into the educational process, organize learning based on inquiry and creative exploration, and effectively apply engineering thinking and digital tools.

The final stage—consisting of in-person presentations of the participants’ work and public speaking—is scheduled for April (the specific date will be announced later). The goal of the competition is to identify and support young educators capable of innovative work, to stimulate their professional development, to share best practices in the use of STEM and artificial intelligence technologies, and to enhance the quality of education in the region.

Winners in both categories will receive a “Grand Prix” award (the “Young Teacher’s Oscar”), as well as specific honors corresponding to the categories “Youth Olympus” and “Code of Mastery.” Valuable prizes have been prepared for all participants and winners.

KAI Huawei Excellence Center

KAI Huawei Excellence Center

9 December 2025

On 9 December, the KAI Huawei Excellence Centre was opened – an educational and research space that has set a new standard for technical education in Ukraine.

For the Educational Initiatives Foundation, this is an important step towards creating a modern engineering environment where KAI students will work with technologies that define today’s telecom industry: 4G/5G/6G, WiFi7, IoT, Smart City, cybersecurity, and modern network architectures. The centre already has a Huawei ICT Academy with HCIA certification courses, practical laboratories, technical workshops and hackathons — a format that allows future engineers to develop their skills through real-world tasks and practice.

The space combines a lecture area, an R&D lab, and a team hub where students can apply their knowledge, work on projects, and test network solutions on real equipment. An important part will be “KAI Huawei Talks” — regular deep-dive lectures and practical sessions from Huawei engineers that will help students transition from academic training to real industry challenges.

“We thank KAI and Huawei Ukraine for their partnership and vision for the future of education. Today, we didn’t just open a lab — we created a point of entry into the profession for hundreds of Ukrainian students,” said Nadiya Omelchenko, founder of the Educational Initiatives Fund.

The KAI Huawei Excellence Centre has officially opened. Ahead are the first courses, workshops, and hackathons.

Training for educators: fundraising as a tool for school development

Training for educators: fundraising as a tool for school development

11 November 2025

The Educational Initiatives Foundation, together with its partners — Charitable Organisation Mazal T, the Professional Association of Educators, UNITED ANTS, and the STEAM train Training Centre — held a training session on “Fundraising Strategy for Educational Institutions” at School No. 226 in the Obolonskyi district of Kyiv.

The speakers shared practical advice on preparing grant applications and explained how to create projects that can successfully work with grant funds and scale up in the future.

The event was held in an interactive format: Kahoot, discussion of questions from directors. Participants shared their own experiences and sought solutions for the development of the educational environment.

Educators also divided into two teams and, under the guidance of mentors, analysed case studies involving social initiatives for submission in future grant applications.
After completing the training, participants received certificates of professional development.

Together with NIBULON, computers were donated to Chyhyryn

Together with NIBULON, computers were donated to Chyhyryn

29 October 2025

The Educational Initiatives Foundation, in partnership with NIBULON, donated 16 computers to Chyhyryn so that every student would have the opportunity to learn, create and develop even in the most difficult times. Because where there is knowledge, there is always a future.

Winners of the 2025 Responsibility Award Announced

Winners of the 2025 Responsibility Award Announced

January 29, 2025

Last week, the official ceremony of announcing the winners of the 2025 Responsibility Award, organized by the Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation, took place in Kyiv.

For the first time, the long list of awards included the educational project ChillPro Tech Students Awards, created by the scientific asset National University of Food Technologies with the support of the Educational Initiatives Foundation and the Public Organization “Refrigeration Association of Ukraine”, dedicated to the development of STEM competencies among students.

In the exciting atmosphere of the final, the jury announced the award winners, who this year were:

— In the nomination “History of Responsible Partnership: Communities” – the project “Civil Defense: Heavens of Cherkasy Region” from the Cherkasy City Institute

— In the nomination “National Partnership Project” – the story “Honoring through Public Spaces: How to Make the Memory of Fallen Ukrainians Visible” from the Heroes’ Memorial

— In the nomination “Interaction without Borders: Ukraine to the World” – the Strichka Digital Platform with the story “Ukrainianism without Borders”: Advocacy of Ukraine’s National Interests for 2025”

The team of the Educational Initiatives Fund would like to thank the organizers for the important initiative to support and highlight sensitive and relevant projects of the public sector and sincerely believes in the victory of educational projects in the coming years.

Learn more about the projects of the participants and winners of the 2025 Responsibility Award https://responsibility-award.com/results/

Visit the final of the ChillPro Tech Students Awards competition for free as part of the Chill Pro Expo on May 12-14, 2026 using the promo code FB26 https://coolclima.com.ua/visitors/registration

Support student STEM and become a participant, media partner or official partner of the ChillPro Tech Students Awards 2026 competition Heat and Power Engineering Refrigeration

We were sincerely glad to meet many of our friends and colleagues at the event site and share with you a short photo report from the event halls.
We thank all our partners for their support and unity in the further development of STEM in Ukraine as the basis of the country’s engineering and scientific potential!