On 3 August 2026, Kiel University (CAU) welcomed two researchers from Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University (KSAEU) for an international research internship: Mariia Nikitenko, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Agronomy, and Daria Kovtun, Assistant in the Department of Agronomy. They are the first early-career researchers from KSAEU to participate in this laboratory-based format at CAU.
Research internship within ACTI-K²
The internship forms part of the Lab Cooperation activity within the German-Ukrainian University Network (DUHN) project “Academic Cooperation and Teaching Initiative Kiel-Kherson” (ACTI-K²), funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
It is conducted with support from CAU’s Faculty of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences (AEF) and hosted by the Department of Agronomy and Crop Science at the Institute of Crop Science and Plant Breeding under the supervision of Priv.-Doz. Dr. Insa Kühling.
During the programme, the researchers will gain practical experience with modern analytical methods and scientific equipment. Visits to CAU’s experimental fields will also introduce them to field-trial design, crop monitoring and data collection. The programme’s results will be documented with international certificates.
Contributing to the DIVERSILIENCE project
An important part of the programme is the researchers’ involvement in DIVERSILIENCE, which stands for Diversification for Food Systems Resilience. This Research Training Group at Kiel University is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
DIVERSILIENCE investigates how greater diversity across the entire food chain, from cultivation and processing to trade and consumption, can make food systems more resilient to crises. Its aim is to build a scientific basis for resilient, sustainable food systems and to develop practical solutions with stakeholders from economics, politics and society.
Participation in its research activities creates scope to exchange expertise, establish professional contacts and develop ideas for future joint studies.
Advancing German-Ukrainian academic cooperation
The research internship is intended to strengthen the participants’ scientific capacities, promote the exchange of expertise and expand collaborative research between CAU and KSAEU. It also supports the universities’ wider strategic partnership and KSAEU’s integration into the European Research Area.
We sincerely thank the ACTI-K² team and all partners for supporting and organising the programme. These include KSAEU project lead Viktoriia Granovska and coordinator Oleksandr Averchev; Prof. Dr. Kai Carstensen, ACTI-K² project leader; Prof. Dr. Tim Diekötter, Dean of CAU’s Faculty of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences; and Tetiana Skibina, who coordinates cooperation with KSAEU and represents the Ukrainian partners’ expertise within the project.
