As part of the Horizon Europe project “Developing a STEAM Roadmap for Science Education” (RoadSTEAMer), a team from the National Centre “Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine” (JASU) — Vasyl Dunets, Deputy Director, and Denys Svyrydenko, Methodologist of the Regional Cooperation Department — made a working visit to Brussels at the end of June and the beginning of July 2025.
During the week, the JASU representatives held a series of key meetings with European partners, leading to strengthened cooperation in science education, STEAM, and the advancement of innovative educational spaces in Ukraine. The Ukrainian delegation took part in the STE(A)M Atlas Event 2025 — a conference, which highlighted the achievements of the three European projects regarding the future of STEAM education in Europe. Additionally, a meeting of the RoadSTEAMer project consortium members was held.
With the support of the European Network of Science Centres and Museums (Ecsite), the Ukrainian delegation also held a working meeting with Maria Podlasek-Ziegler, a representative of the European Commission’s DG for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. The discussion focused on opportunities for JASU’s participation in EU educational initiatives, internship projects, and Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ grant programmes.
The JASU team also visited the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences to explore the European practices in organising interactive natural science exhibitions, with a view to adapting these approaches in Ukraine. An agreement was reached on a training visit of Ukrainian specialists to the Institute.
Overall, the trip to Brussels demonstrated the strong interest of European partners in advancing science education in Ukraine and opened up new avenues for collaboration to create a modern educational environment for children and youth.