Kiel University (CAU) welcomed a delegation from Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University (KSAEU) from 13 to 16 October 2025. During the visit, Prof. Dr. Remco Stam from the Institute of Phytopathology, Department of Phytopathology and Plant Protection, led a tour of the new research building for CAU’s Faculty of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences.
The visitors were Prof. Dr. Viktoriia Hranovska, Vice-Rector of KSAEU, and Prof. Dr. Oleksandr Averchev, Head of the Department of Agriculture at KSAEU.
Facilities for interdisciplinary research
The tour introduced the building’s approach to teaching and research in agricultural and nutritional sciences. Flexible offices and laboratories are designed to accommodate changing scientific and technical requirements and combine practical experimentation with digital tools.
The delegation saw laboratory experiments and research methods involving tomatoes, potatoes, rapeseed and quinoa, with a focus on the molecular mechanisms of plant resistance to disease. The work uses specialised, climate-controlled laboratories for environmental and genetic analysis.
Exchanging research approaches
The delegation and Prof. Dr. Remco Stam compared research methods and academic approaches used in Germany and Ukraine. Their discussion addressed shared challenges and possible areas of future cooperation.
Both sides expressed interest in joint research, staff exchanges and student mobility. We thank Prof. Dr. Remco Stam, the Faculty of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences and colleagues at KSAEU for the visit and scientific exchange.
ACTI-K² is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) within the German-Ukrainian Network of Universities (DUHN), with funding from the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).
