The Italian Med-Or Foundation and the Hennadiy Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at developing cooperation in the field of diplomatic training and international dialogue.
According to reports, the document was signed on October 13 at Med-Or’s headquarters in Rome by the foundation’s president, Marco Minniti, and the director of the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine, Ihor Ostash.
The agreement provides a foundation for joint initiatives in the field of diplomatic education, as well as expanded opportunities for cooperation between Italy and Ukraine. In particular, the agreement envisages the involvement of Italian and international instructors and experts in the Ukrainian academy’s educational programs.
The Med-Or Foundation already has experience in developing international partnerships in the field of personnel training in Africa and the Middle East.
The signing ceremony was also attended by Alfredo Mantovano, State Secretary to the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy and Security Commissioner of the Republic, and Ihor Brusylo, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Italy.
Med-Or noted that the agreement is part of the foundation’s broader program of activities aimed at developing international cooperation amid a complex international situation.
The signing of the memorandum lays the groundwork for further deepening Ukrainian-Italian ties in the areas of diplomatic education, the exchange of expert knowledge, and the training of specialists in international relations.
Huawei Ukraine has announced the launch of the nationwide Student Tech Challenge 2026 team competition for students majoring in technical disciplines. This year, 152 students representing 42 teams from 18 Ukrainian universities will take part in the competition.
The official opening of the competition took place online on October 6. The participants were addressed by Ma Mingjie, Director of Huawei Ukraine, Roksolana Shvadchak, Director General of the Digital Transformation Directorate of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, as well as the heads of Ukrainian technical universities.
In 2026, the teams will work in three areas: Radio Access Network Planning, Datacom Engineering, and Digital Energy. Participants are required to develop solutions to practical challenges in mobile network planning, data transmission, network technologies, and digital energy.
Work on the projects will be carried out with the support of team coaches and Huawei Ukraine mentors.
“Huawei Ukraine consistently invests in the education of Ukrainian youth. We strive to inspire students to study even harder, gain deeper insight into real business cases, and build careers in their chosen professional fields. In this way, they will directly strengthen Ukraine’s ICT industry,” said Ma Mingjie, Director of Huawei Ukraine.
Student Tech Challenge is being held for the third consecutive year. In 2024, the competition involved 134 students in 32 teams from 10 universities, while in 2025, it brought together 201 students, 48 teams from 20 universities. In 2026, the number of competition categories has been reduced from four to three, with 42 teams from 18 higher education institutions joining the project.
Anatolii Melnychenko, Rector of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, emphasized the importance of closer ties between university education and the real needs of the technology industry. According to him, such initiatives enable students not only to acquire academic knowledge but also to apply it to solving engineering challenges and gain practical teamwork experience.
The competition will run from October 6 to November 6. The semifinal selection will take place on October 26–27, and on November 4–5, the teams will present their projects to an independent expert jury. The final ceremony and awards presentation will take place in Kyiv on November 6.
The winners will receive prizes, as well as an opportunity to participate in a Huawei mentoring or internship program.
Student Tech Challenge is a nationwide technology competition organized by Huawei Ukraine for students majoring in technical disciplines, with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. Participants develop solutions to practical challenges in telecommunications, network technologies, and energy under the guidance of company experts.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed imposing a fee of $70,000 for an international student’s initial participation in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program and an additional $30,000 for subsequent extensions, including those for STEM graduates.
The corresponding draft rule from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was published on October 8, 2026, in the Federal Register. This decision has not yet taken effect: the document is currently open for public comment, with comments accepted until November 9.
The OPT program allows international students with an F-1 visa to temporarily work in the U.S. in their field of study during or after their studies. Typically, graduates can work under OPT for up to 12 months, and an additional extension is available for STEM fields.
Under the new scheme proposed by DHS, a certified college or university would be required to pay the fee before the institution submits an OPT recommendation to the SEVIS system. Without confirmation of payment of the new fee, a student will not be able to obtain a work authorization.
If the rule is approved as currently proposed, the cost of accessing OPT will increase tenfold. Currently, obtaining a work permit costs approximately a few hundred dollars, whereas the proposed model calls for $70,000 for the initial recommendation and an additional $30,000 for each subsequent one.
DHS justifies the reform by citing the need to combat fraud and abuse in the OPT program, as well as to protect the U.S. labor market. In the draft rule, the agency refers to cases of fictitious employment of international graduates and potential violations in the program identified by ICE.
Reuters notes that OPT is one of the key pathways through which international graduates of U.S. universities gain their first work experience in the U.S. and then often transition to H-1B work visas. Therefore, the introduction of such a high fee could significantly reduce the number of graduates who remain to work in the country after completing their studies.
At the same time, the group potentially affected is very large. According to Open Doors 2025, there were 1.178 million international students at U.S. colleges and universities during the 2024–25 academic year, accounting for about 6% of all U.S. higher education students. Of these, 294,300 participated in OPT, with the number of program participants rising by 21% over the course of the year.
The largest numbers of international students come to the U.S. from India (363,000), China (266,000), South Korea (42,300), Canada (29,900), and Vietnam (25,600).
There are significantly fewer Ukrainian students at U.S. universities, but their numbers are growing. According to Open Doors 2025, 2,346 students from Ukraine were studying or participating in OPT in the U.S. during the 2024–25 academic year, which is 7.5% more than the previous year.
By comparison, there were 2,183 Ukrainian students in the U.S. during the 2023–24 academic year. At that time, about 55% of them were enrolled in bachelor’s programs, 26% in master’s and doctoral programs, 14% were participating in OPT, and another 5% were in non-degree programs.
Thus, if the composition of the Ukrainian student population remains roughly the same, the new fees could affect several hundred Ukrainians who plan to stay in the U.S. for professional practice after graduating from American universities. However, Open Doors does not provide the exact number of Ukrainians specifically on OPT in the 2024–25 academic year in its publicly available summary statistics.
Overall, the Ukrainian community in the U.S. is significantly larger than the student population. According to an estimate by the Migration Policy Institute based on the American Community Survey, more than 510,000 immigrants born in Ukraine were living in the U.S. in 2024, and the entire Ukrainian diaspora, including people of Ukrainian descent, was estimated at approximately 1.4 million people.
Critics of the proposal warn that the new fee could make U.S. universities less attractive to international applicants and redirect some students to the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and EU countries. The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration has already stated that such a high financial barrier could seriously disrupt the existing system for attracting foreign graduates to the U.S. labor market.
However, the initiative’s final fate remains uncertain. After the public comment period ends, DHS may amend the proposal, drop some provisions, or adopt the final rule. Additionally, Reuters notes that the new restrictions are likely to face legal challenges.
Ukrainian students have been selected as recipients of the HEC Imagine program, which provides young people from countries affected by war and crises with the opportunity to study at HEC Paris, one of France’s leading business schools.
This was reported by the Embassy of Ukraine in the French Republic following the “Imagine pour la Paix” event, dedicated to supporting the program’s participants.
The event took place at UNESCO headquarters in Paris and brought together representatives from HEC Paris, the French business community, program partners and donors, diplomats, and students.
Among those attending were Jean-Noël Barro, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs—an HEC Paris alumnus—as well as Gaël Veissier, former French Ambassador to Ukraine, who currently heads the Crisis Response and Support Center at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
HEC Imagine fellows shared their personal experiences and insights about studying in France.
The HEC Imagine program was created to support talented students whose education and career prospects have been threatened by wars and other crises. Ukrainian students were among the program’s first participants.
According to HEC Paris, the HEC Imagine Fellows project began in 2022. From the very beginning, the scholarships enabled students from Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Syria to study at HEC.
The program provides not only financial support for tuition but also facilitates the students’ integration into the academic and professional environment at HEC Paris.
The Ukrainian Embassy in France emphasized that supporting the education of Ukrainians takes on special significance amid the war and the destruction of Ukraine’s educational and scientific infrastructure.
“The reconstruction of Ukraine is not just about rebuilding buildings and infrastructure. Above all, it is an investment in people: future entrepreneurs, economists, engineers, and managers who will create jobs, attract investment, and build a modern, European Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Embassy noted.
The diplomatic mission also thanked HEC Paris for its support of Ukrainian students and the Association des étudiants ukrainiens en France for helping to organize Ukraine’s participation in the event.
HEC Paris is one of Europe’s most renowned business schools. The institution specializes in training professionals in the fields of management, finance, entrepreneurship, and business administration, and its graduates work in international companies, financial institutions, the public sector, and their own businesses.
The HEC Imagine program is part of a broader initiative that combines support for students from conflict-affected countries with a discussion on the role of business and education in rebuilding and securing peace.
Sources: Embassy of Ukraine in the French Republic, HEC Paris, UNESCO.
Huawei Ukraine has announced that it is accepting applications from students at Ukrainian higher education institutions to participate in the annual Student Tech Challenge-2026 team competition, which is held with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
According to the company’s press release, participants will develop technological solutions for challenges in the fields of telecommunications, computer networks, and digital energy. Winners will receive prizes and the opportunity to join an internship program at Huawei Ukraine.
The competition will be held in three main categories: Radio Access Network Planning, Datacom Engineering, and Digital Energy. Teams will develop their projects with the assistance of the company’s faculty coaches and mentors.
The first stage of the Student Tech Challenge will run from October 6 to 26 and will include online meetings, solution development, and presentation preparation. The semifinals are scheduled for October 26–27, after which the finalist teams will continue working with mentors. Project pitches will take place on November 4–5, either online or in person in Kyiv, and the finals and awards ceremony will be held on November 6.
Teams of two to five students from Ukrainian higher education institutions are invited to participate. Eligible participants include undergraduate students in their third year or higher and first-year master’s students majoring in engineering, technical, and related polytechnic fields. Knowledge of English at a minimum B1 level is required, as project presentations will be conducted in English.
Detailed contest rules are available on the official Student Tech Challenge website.
Huawei Ukraine has been operating in the Ukrainian market since 2000, and Huawei Ukraine LLC was registered in Kyiv in May 2005. The company is engaged in the supply, commissioning, maintenance, and technical support of Huawei telecommunications equipment and software.
One of the company’s areas of activity in Ukraine is the training of specialists in the field of information and communication technologies. In particular, since 2016, the international educational program “Huawei Seeds for the Future” has been implemented in Ukraine, and the Huawei ICT Academy network has been expanding in partnership with Ukrainian universities.
Source: Huawei Ukraine press release on the “Interfax-Ukraine” website.
EDUCATION, Huawei Ukraine, Student Tech Challenge, TECHNOLOGY, СТУДЕНТ
Andriy Butenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Education and Science, discussed with Seymur Mardaliyev, the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Ukraine, the recognition of higher education documents, the expansion of cooperation between universities, and the preparation of bilateral events in the field of education and science.
“As of early 2026, more than 5,400 Azerbaijani citizens were studying in Ukraine—about one-third of all international students. The Ukrainian side reaffirmed its interest in maintaining this cooperation and creating appropriate conditions for pursuing an education,” according to a statement from the Ministry of Education.
It is noted that special attention was given to the recognition of diplomas from Ukrainian higher education institutions in Azerbaijan.
In particular, the Ukrainian side proposed to thoroughly examine the relevant issues within the framework of a specialized working group.
The meeting also addressed the issue of documentation required for the admission and arrival of Azerbaijani students coming to study in Ukraine.
In addition, the meeting participants discussed preparations for a visit to Azerbaijan by a delegation from the Ministry of Education led by Deputy Minister Mykola Trofimenko.
“The proposed program includes a working group meeting on the recognition of educational documents, as well as meetings with the leadership of the relevant ministry and university rectors. The visit is intended to facilitate the development of joint decisions and the establishment of direct partnerships between higher education institutions in both countries. The possibility of organizing a meeting between the education ministers of Ukraine and Azerbaijan by the end of this year was also discussed,” the statement reads.
The parties also discussed preparations for the 14th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation and the signing of an intergovernmental agreement on scientific and technical cooperation.
