On June 11–12, 2026, Dr. Oleh Lysak, Senior Researcher at the Department of Geothermal Energy of the Institute of Renewable Energy of the NAS of Ukraine, took part in the Ukrainian-American forum Lviv Academic Bridge 2026: Ukraine–U.S. Science & Education Forum. The event was held in a hybrid format at the Lviv Polytechnic National University.
About the REBUILD Project
The REBUILD project (Renewable Energy for Bolstering Ukraine’s Infrastructure by Learning and Design) officially started on May 1, 2025, and will last for two years.
It is funded within the framework of the “International Multilateral Partnerships for Resilient Education and Science System in Ukraine” (IMPRESS-U) program under the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) contract No. 7135. The funding source is the US National Academy of Sciences (US NAS).
In Ukraine, the project coordinator is the Institute of Renewable Energy of the NAS of Ukraine (IRE NAS of Ukraine), and the project manager is Dr Oleh Lysak. The goal of REBUILD is to improve the qualifications of Ukrainian teachers by providing them with the necessary knowledge and methodological tools to conduct extracurricular classes on building energy efficiency and renewable energy.
More details about the project on the website of the IRE NAS of Ukraine: https://www.ive.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/Information-for-the-IRE-of-the-NAS-of-Ukraine-regarding-STCU-7135-REBUILD-_-ver01.pdf
About the Lviv Academic Bridge 2026 Forum
The forum was organized by the Lviv Polytechnic National University with the support of the US Embassy in Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MESU). Its main goal is to strengthen practical cooperation in the fields of science and education, build open knowledge corridors, and create new partnership formats between American and Ukrainian research institutions.
More details about the Lviv Academic Bridge 2026 forum on the website of the Lviv Polytechnic National University: https://lpnu.ua/ua-us-forum-2026
Selection and Presentation of the Project During the Pitch Session
A Catalogue of Ukrainian research, educational, and innovative projects was prepared for the forum. Out of the entire catalogue, only 5 projects, including REBUILD, were selected by the organizers for public presentation during the special pitch session “Session 7. Ukraine as a trusted R&D partner: friend-shoring,” which took place on Friday, June 12, 2026, from 17:30 to 18:30.
The pitch evaluation was conducted by Oleksandr Soroka, Managing Partner of the international venture fund Network VC and co-founder of the Ukrainian Valley community, and Vitaly Gnatenko, Chief Analytics Officer at Network VC. The experts represented two key structures for attracting American investments:
- Network VC is an international venture fund specializing in investments in innovative startups and science-intensive developments at their early stages.
- Ukrainian Valley is a non-profit organization that unites Ukrainians working in technology and science in Silicon Valley, connecting them with their Ukrainian counterparts worldwide.
Link to the catalogue (Zenodo): https://zenodo.org/records/20516156
Oleh Lysak’s speech (starting at 1:51:51) can be viewed in the broadcast recording: https://www.facebook.com/lvivpolytechnic/videos/1197569882458718
Results for the IRE NAS of Ukraine
The participation of representatives of the Institute of Renewable Energy of the NAS of Ukraine in such an event is an important step towards raising awareness among participants in Ukraine and abroad about the Institute’s work, using this project as an example. The inclusion of the project in the TOP-5 selected projects presented at this event demonstrates the high appraisal of the REBUILD project by the organizers of the forum, which is aimed at strengthening ties between the scientific communities of Ukraine and the US.
An important outcome of the participation was the recommendations received from the experts who evaluated the project regarding opportunities for finding funding for future projects in the chosen direction in the United States.