Digital Ecosystem DigiPlatform — A Strategy for the Future of Ukrainian Universities

Educators from Mariupol State University have returned from a working meeting of participants in the international Erasmus+ project “Digital University – Open Ukrainian Initiative” (DigiUni).

From February 11 to 13, the resilient team stayed in Erlangen (Germany) to jointly discuss an ambitious initiative — the creation of a unified digital ecosystem for Ukrainian higher education institutions. The guests from Ukraine and the EU were warmly hosted by Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg.

Together with project partners, the further development vector of DigiPlatform — a tool designed to transform the approach to higher education in Ukraine — was defined by Acting Rector of MSU Tetiana Marena, Head of the Department of English Philology and Applied Studies Olena Pedchenko, and Leading Specialist of the Educational Technology Department Dmytro Tomas. The Mariupol team is directly involved in the development and piloting of digital services; therefore, their role was to coordinate mechanisms for implementing the platform in a real educational environment.

The project is currently at the midpoint of its implementation. During the coordination meeting, consortium members were able to assess and discuss progress in the development of the digital platform, dissemination of results, and training of course developers. They also identified next steps and tasks requiring focused attention. Given the current operating conditions of higher education institutions in Ukraine, issues of security and ensuring uninterrupted operation of the digital platform are of particular importance,

— said MSU Acting Rector Tetyana Marena.

The three-day intensive session in Erlangen shifted the focus from planning to concrete actions. Participants agreed on the final vision of DigiPlatform, which will unite universities, presented the current version of the digital platform and the updated strategy for learning activities. Importantly, they also developed a pilot implementation plan and a system for inter-university exchange of experience.

Each meeting of the international DigiUni team becomes another step toward the long-awaited implementation of a digital ecosystem for internal online mobility for Ukrainian students. Our team’s plan for 2026 is to master the methodology of creating high-quality digital content and to train colleagues to develop courses for DigiPlatform. Step by step, a community of practitioners will be formed to advance DigiUni at both national and international levels,

— noted MSU Associate Professor Olena Pedchenko.

The discussion was also joined remotely by Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Mykola Trofymenko. He emphasized the national significance of the DigiUni project and highlighted three key objectives of the international initiative: ensuring continuity of education during wartime, creating a digital foundation for the post-war modernization of universities, and supporting the strategic priority of digital transformation.

The Deputy Minister also stressed that participation of Ukrainian educational institutions in Erasmus+ projects facilitates Ukraine’s practical integration into the European Higher Education Area through joint digital solutions, courses, and collaboration within mixed international teams.

For Mariupol University, participation in the digitalization project marks a transition from theory to the practical scaling of digital solutions.

For our university, DigiUni primarily represents a shift toward a comprehensive inter-university ecosystem in which the platform, data, and services truly work together. During the meeting, we focused on technical preparation for the pilot implementation of DigiPlatform and scaling solutions into the daily operations of universities across the country. It is essential that the project’s results become not an experiment, but a sustainable infrastructure ready for integration into the national higher education system,

— said MSU Leading Specialist Dmytro Tomas.

The MSU community has embraced the project wholeheartedly. To emphasize how it has united resilient educators on the path of rebuilding the university, branded hoodies were created for the working trip. They not only highlighted the team spirit but also served as a thoughtful gift for representatives of the hospitable Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg — project coordinator Sonia Hetzner and Vice President Katrin M. Möslein.