Anna Rosokhata, Associate Professor of the Department of Marketing at Sumy State University and a member of the Jean Monnet project team, successfully completed a week-long internship at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU).
The internship took place at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences and focused on sustainable waste management, consumer behavior in waste sorting, and the restoration of ecological systems in the post-war period. Over the week, significant results were achieved that will contribute to the goals of the Jean Monnet project:
• Establishing Scientific Contacts: Collaboration with researchers from the Czech University of Life Sciences was initiated, paving the way for knowledge exchange in sustainable development and environmental policy.
• Discussion of Joint Projects: Potential directions for joint initiatives were outlined, particularly in promoting the EU's cohesion policy within the context of Ukraine's sustainable development.
• Dissemination of Jean Monnet Project Results: Anna Rosokhata presented research findings and materials developed within the project, raising awareness among the international academic community about the project's achievements.
• Participation in Scientific Consultations: Discussions on modern approaches to ecological system restoration allowed for the adaptation of methodologies that can be utilized within the Jean Monnet project.
This internship highlighted the importance of international collaboration in addressing pressing environmental and economic challenges. Like other activities undertaken by the Jean Monnet project team, it served as an effective tool for disseminating the project’s outcomes, engaging the international community in discussions on sustainable development, and strengthening ties between European and Ukrainian researchers.
The Jean Monnet project team continues its efforts to promote and implement European values of sustainable development and cohesion policy, contributing to Ukraine’s environmental restoration.
In early December, Nataliia Letunovska, Associate Professor of the Department of Marketing, returned from an internship in the USA, which she completed as part of the Fulbright Scholars Program. She presented a report on the results of her research at Pennsylvania State University, which concerned the development of practical tools for promoting healthy eating behavior among the population. The report contained information about the steps she had taken during the three months of internship, what laboratory equipment she had become familiar with, and what new contacts she had found for future research. Nataliia's interesting insights concerned digital tools for conducting surveys, platforms that provide quick collection of responses from respondents, and software for high-quality interpretation of the data obtained. As she reported, Pennsylvania State University has many laboratories focused on researching the population's eating behavior and emphasized that the healthy food market is promising in the USA and actively developing, confirming the relevance of scientific research in this area.
In October 2024, the study of the course "Healthy Regional Development: Best European Practices" for students of Sumy State University as part of Jean Monet's module "Healthy Economy and Policy: European Values for Ukraine" (101047530- ERASMUS-JMO-2021-HEI-TCH- RSCH) was finished.
This course was attended by more than 50 students of various specialties and educational levels. The course was not only theoretical but also practice-oriented with a combination of lectures-discussions, flipped lectures with creative tasks, training, and case studies, which allowed the students of this course to master critical thinking skills in the strategic development of regions, to explore essential aspects of European values aimed at supporting sustainable development, improving the quality of life of the population, improving the socio-economic indicators of the regions and the country as a whole. In the course, significant attention is paid to the analysis of program documents in the development of the health care system of the countries of the European Union and initiatives related to the issue of cohesion in the EU regions. Involved lecturers from various fields of activity: Olha Skrypnyk (representative of the local development promotion agency), Valeriia Koroshchenko, Oleh Dalechin (business representatives from different regions), Liliia Khomenko (specialist in territorial marketing) helped to enrich the course by sharing their experience and vision regional development in Ukraine.
While studying the course, its students got acquainted with the concept of a healthy region, the principles of healthy development, and the current trends of the EU in this area. At the end of the course, students had the opportunity to compare approaches to regional development in the EU with Ukrainian ones and to apply best practices from the experience of EU countries to develop and plan similar measures in domestic regional policy.
On October 29-30, project manager Liudmyla Saher participated in the 3rd annual conference, "Meeting of the Institute of Economic Research 2024" (Smolenice, Slovakia). The conference was dedicated to discussing the socio-economic consequences of environmental challenges, economic development of EU countries, inflation and price growth, regional economic modeling and development, economic impacts of population aging, and financial stability in EU countries and Slovakia. The conference participants focused particular attention on the specifics of the implementation of the EU cohesion policy. In particular, the issue of the effectiveness of procedures for preparing and managing EU cohesion funds and the impact of the cohesion grant policy on enterprises' corporate efficiency in Slovakia, etc., was considered.
On October 27, as part of the celebration of the 79th anniversary of the creation of the United Nations in the state of Pennsylvania, the participant of the Jean Monnet Module "Healthy Economy and Policy: European Values for Ukraine", Nataliia Letunovska, attended an event dedicated to supporting the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This year, the theme of the meeting was focused on discussing the implementation of Goal 12, namely responsible consumption and production. The discussion focused on the role of the clothing industry and its impact on the environment. The exhibition featured innovative clothing and accessories made from recycled raw materials to reduce the amount of waste from production in the fashion industry. From an exciting presentation by Professor Aydin Alptekinoglu (Smeal College of Business, Penn State University), the attendees learned that the fashion industry ranks second in the world among other sectors regarding the level of negative environmental impact. Considering this disappointing conclusion, the speaker suggested ways to reduce the adverse effects of fashion on the environment, and the behavior of the consumers, the clothes buyers, plays a valuable role here.
During August 18-21, 2024, the international conference "Economy & Business 2024" was held in Burgas (Bulgaria), which brought together scientists from 19 countries, including the project leader Liudmyla Saher. The conference presented a study of global economic challenges and opportunities, innovations and technologies, entrepreneurship and new business models, and issues of responsible growth and inclusive economy in the context of current trends and prospects. Liudmyla Saher presented the report "Comprehensive Assessment of Inclusive Growth: Cross-country Analysis Using an Integral Indicator." Adherence to the cohesion policy principles contributes to the inclusive growth of countries to reduce economic and social gaps, particularly under the influence of crisis factors.
On October 15, 2024, project executors Liudmyla Saher and Nataliia Letunovska took part in the Cluster Seminar under Jean Monnet's direction of the EU Erasmus+ Program "Study and dissemination of European studies in Ukraine: successful practices, challenges and prospects," organized by the National Erasmus+ office in Ukraine within the framework of #ErasmusDays 2024. The event's purpose was to ensure synergy and cooperation between Jean Monnet projects and other projects of the EU Erasmus+ Program in Ukraine and to spread information about the influence of European studies on the development of the educational and scientific potential of higher education institutions and state policies in Ukraine. Liudmyla, Nataliia, and other seminar participants shared their work and experience implementing Jean Monnet projects. Also, they determined the direction of further cooperation regarding the spread of EU values in Ukraine.
We are glad to announce that now everyone has the opportunity not only to familiarize themselves with the main principles of EU cohesion policy, issues of healthy regional development, and the role of enterprises and industry in creating a healthy economic environment, but also to deepen their knowledge and acquire practical skills for the formation of sustainable communities, implementation of cohesion policy, determining the impact of destabilizing factors, using marketing tools to spread the concept of healthy regional development, determining consumer motives for choosing healthy products, etc. as part of training on the online course "Healthy Economy: European Values for Ukraine". This course will be useful to teachers, graduate students, students of various specialties of higher educational institutions, and a wide range of readers interested in regional development issues. Access to the course is free (link here). The authors of the course (Liudmyla Saher, Nataliia Letunovska, Rosokhata Anna) are always open to cooperation and are ready to answer questions that may arise during the course.
On October 10, project leader Liudmyla Saher participated in the 12th annual conference on entrepreneurship and innovation, "Smart Machines and Systems at the Service of Humanity" (Tallinn, Estonia). The main motive of the events at the conference was the discussion of entrepreneurship, innovation, and smart technologies in the service of humanity. The conference focused on new trends in business, the use of artificial intelligence and intelligent systems in various industries, their impact on the economy and society, and the ethical and legal aspects of implementing these advanced technologies for the benefit of humanity. Liudmyla presented her work in inclusive growth and innovation as a driving factor influencing it.
We are happy to announce the release of the educational manual "Healthy Economy: European Values for Ukraine".
The textbook discusses the theoretical issues of healthy regional development, the features of forming sustainable communities, the role of enterprises and industry in creating a healthy economic environment, the implementation of the cohesion policy, marketing tools used in spreading the concept of healthy regional development and cohesion policy, healthy behavior, and motivation of consumers. The textbook will be helpful for teachers, graduate students, students of different specialties of higher education institutions, and a wide range of readers interested in the region's development.
The textbook contains many examples and factual materials illustrating the theoretical foundations.
The guide's authors were the project's implementers: Liudmyla Saher, Nataliia Letunovska, and Anna Rosokhata.
Look for the manual in the Sumy State University Library and the Sumy Regional Scientific Library, as well as at the link.
Member of the team of the Jean Monnet project "Healthy Economy and Policy: European Values for Ukraine", Nataliia Letunovska, as part of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar program, has been in the USA for a month, where she is undergoing an internship at the School of Hospitality Management of the Pennsylvania State University, where she is engaged in researching those factors and hidden factors, which influence people's eating behavior, in particular, stimulate them to follow a healthy diet in their daily food consumption. September was full of events, and in addition to starting work on a research question and forming working hypotheses, Nataliia had time to attend several thematic classroom classes in the disciplines "Readings in Ingestive Behavior" of the Department of Food Sciences and "The Sustainable Fork: Food Systems Decisions for Away-From-Home Eating" from the School of Hospitality Management. The colorful tours of the university's behavioral labs, with lots of state-of-the-art equipment and information about the projects being carried out by scientists, were inspiring. It was a real insight to discover that the USA actively promotes a healthy lifestyle and nutritious food among adults and children.
Not only members of the project team are working on solving scientific and practical problems in healthy development, but this year Anastasiia BRECHKA, a graduate of the "Marketing" specialty, whose diploma project is under the supervision of Doctor of Economics Nataliia LETUNOVSKA concerned the marketing strategy of business development in the health segment, won a prize at the All-Ukrainian competition for qualification papers in the specialty "Marketing", which was held at Khmelnytskyi Cooperative Trade and Economic Institute. It is nice that this is joint work on a topic related to the activities of a Ukrainian healthy food business and is dedicated to improving the brand of a cafe in Sumy (Ukraine), which specializes in the production of healthy sweets, using digital marketing tools.
We congratulate Anastasiia and Nataliia on this achievement and wish them further fruitful cooperation!
From September 24 to 26, 2024, project manager Liudmyla Sager participated in the conference "Social Development towards the Values of Ethics-Technology-Society" (Poland). At the conference, scientists discussed topical issues of sustainable development, technological innovations, and their impact on the economy, society, and the environment, including the topics of the green economy and artificial intelligence and the ethical and legal aspects of introducing the latest technologies.
Together with scientists from Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine, discussed the importance of spreading the principles of cohesion policy, including the formation of inclusive economic development and overcoming the negative impact of crisis factors.
It's nice when the students and the lecturer are on the same wavelength 😊 This was also the case with the homework of students in Marketing when, as part of a practical case study on the analysis of digital tools of modern business representatives in Ukraine, they overwhelmingly chose for research sub of enterprises in the field of sports and health. During the classroom lesson, lecturer Nataliia Letunovska, together with the students, got acquainted with the main marketing activities in the digital environment of small and medium-sized enterprises of Ukraine (among them are sports clubs known to the residents of Sumy, such as "B-Tone", "Papa Gym", "Maxima", Ukrainian companies "Cupffee", "Lekorna") and evaluated the effectiveness of implementing a diversified approach in the use of social networks and Internet advertising. Such examples of joint work inspire further promotion of the project "Healthy economy and policy: European values for Ukraine" among the youth of Ukraine and local business representatives.
- "Being the leader of own life": successful completion of PROactive week by Alina Poznanska
- Development of a healthy personality through education, communications, marketing, and business
- An inspiring example of the city and the social initiatives of its residents: the start of the Jean Monnet active week "Marketing and promotion for a healthy economy"
- Start of PROactive week 2024
- Participation of Anna Rosokhata in the 4th International Scientific Conference "Sustainable Development of the Bioeconomy 2024: Theory and Practice"