A New Research Alliance Connects Universities in Environmental Sciences and Sustainable Development

The establishment of EDRA marks an important milestone in the development of inter-university cooperation in the fields of environmental sciences, environmental technologies and sustainable development. The Alliance provides a framework for long-term collaboration in research, doctoral education, academic mobility and the implementation of joint scientific initiatives.

The idea of creating a joint doctoral and research alliance emerged within the ConnectED Network in late 2025, during a networking event at the HNEE (Germany). In the months leading up to the signing of the Memorandum, representatives of the participating universities worked together to shape the vision of the Alliance, define its areas of cooperation, identify common research priorities and discuss future joint projects. The signing of the Memorandum reflects the commitment of the partner universities to strengthening research collaboration and developing long-term academic partnerships.

The founding members of EDRA are:

• Dnipro University of Technology

• V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University

• National Aerospace University “Kharkiv Aviation Institute”

• Sumy National Agrarian University

• Yurii Kondratiuk Poltava Polytechnic National University

• National Transport University

• Cherkasy State Technological University

• Vinnytsia National Technical University

• National University of Water and Environmental Engineering

• Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas

• Ukrainian National Forestry University

• Lviv Polytechnic National University

A key feature of EDRA is its focus on connecting research capacities across institutions. By bringing together information on research infrastructure, scientific resources and areas of expertise available within partner universities, the Alliance supports cooperation among researchers, doctoral candidates and research teams and contributes to the development of joint research activities.

The signing of the Memorandum represents the first formal step in the development of EDRA. At the same time, the Alliance is open to cooperation with Ukrainian and international universities, research institutes, scientific centres, public authorities, industry partners and other stakeholders interested in advancing environmental research, doctoral education and sustainable development.

Further information about the Alliance

EDRA at a Glance

🎓 12 member universities

🤝 1 signed Memorandum of Cooperation

🔬 Focus on environmental protection technologies

🌍 Platform for doctoral education, research cooperation and academic mobility

📅 New members can apply from 2026