The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has announced the results of the first competition for PhD research projects under the pilot project-based postgraduate programme.
A total of 137 applications were submitted to the competition, of which 79 were recommended for funding, representing approximately 58 per cent of the total. It is anticipated that in 2026, each supported project will be eligible for funding of up to 450,000 UAH for the first six months of implementation.
The topics of the selected research projects cover a wide range of current scientific fields, including machine learning, data science, the development of new materials, biotechnology, chemistry, physics, environmental safety, water purification technologies, the restoration of degraded soils, and innovative solutions to strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities.
Project-based postgraduate study is a new format for training PhD candidates, which involves carrying out a specific research project with clearly defined objectives, a timetable, a team of researchers, a budget and expected practical outcomes.
Three research projects from NTU “KhPI”, prepared by the Department of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Ecology of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Transport, took part in the competitive selection process. All of them were dedicated to addressing pressing issues in the field of ecology and environmental protection (specialisation E2).
It is particularly pleasing to note that, of the 79 competition winners, only five projects fall under category E2 ‘Ecology’, and one of these will be implemented at NTU ‘KhPI’.
The winning project is ‘Development and implementation of an energy-oriented circular approach to the environmentally safe management of sludge storage facility waste’, which will be carried out under the scientific supervision of the Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Ecology, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Professor Oleksii Viktorovych Shestopalov.
The project will be led by Vladislav Butko — a graduate of NTU “KhPI” who, since 2025, has been working as an assistant in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Ecology and has been diligently preparing to enter postgraduate study.
Despite his young age, he already has significant scientific achievements to his name: he is the author of three articles in Category ‘B’ specialist journals and was part of the team that developed the innovative ‘Waste to Energy’ project, which won first place in the ‘Idea’ category of ‘Ecology and Sustainable Development’ at the All-Ukrainian Innovation Festival 3.0.
Winning the competition was a significant achievement both for the young researcher and for the Department of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Ecology, as well as for NTU “KhPI” as a whole. It confirms the high standard of the university’s scientific research and its ability to implement relevant projects aimed at addressing contemporary environmental challenges.
We warmly congratulate the project team on their victory and wish them every success in carrying out all their planned research, achieving significant scientific results and making further professional strides!
