Grant Named After Oleksiy Skrypnyk Established at UKU by ELEKS and Kindgeek

ELEKS has had a close partnership with UCU for years and made a significant impact on building the scientific potential of the Faculty of Applied Sciences at UCU since its inception. In 2018, Oleksiy Skrypnyk and ELEKS made a substantial contribution to establishing the Machine Learning Laboratory at the university, which today has numerous scientific papers and research presented at prestigious international conferences.

Continuing this direction, last year, at the initiative of Tetyana Skrypnyk, the wife of Oleksiy and an ELEKS Board of Directors Member, and Anton Skrypnyk, the eldest son of Oleksiy and co-founder and CEO of Kindgeek, was established the O.O. Skrypnyk Research Grant to support scientific research in the doctoral program at UCU. Tetyana shared a story behind the creation of the Oleksiy Skrypnyk Grant.

“Known for his openness to innovation, continuous development, and a keen interest in exploring new directions and trends, Oleksiy was a vanguard in technological advancement and innovation. His profound respect and valuation for talent led him to teach and invest in the development of young scholars. Reflecting on the best ways to continue and evolve Oleksiy’s legacy, the idea of establishing a grant emerged. The choice fell on the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) due to Oleksiy’s immense respect and enthusiasm for the university and its achievements in IT education and environment creation. The company had previously contributed to launching a computer technology program at UCU,” says Tetyana Skrypnyk.

Tetyana expressed her desire for Oleksiy’s perpetual curiosity for innovation to thrive within the university. The Oleksiy Skrypnyk Grant aims at funding postgraduate programs, embodying his aspiration to foster young professionals in science and technology. She rejoiced in the opportunity this grant would provide talented students to pursue their scientific projects with support. 

This collaborative synergy has facilitated the opportunity for two graduate students from the UCU Faculty of Applied Sciences, Dmytro Kushnir and Yuriy Paniv, to participate in the program and pursue their research endeavours.

Dmytro is a graduate of the Computer Science program in 2019 and is currently working on his dissertation topic related to solving the problem of autonomous navigation in situations where GPS is absent and there is high environmental uncertainty. Yuriy is a graduate of LNU and UCU and in his scientific work, he focuses on making the latest developments and models of artificial intelligence available in the Ukrainian language.

Anton Skrypnyk shared his father’s dream of becoming a rural school physics teacher. Oleksiy’s vision extended to initiating a qualitative transformation in the educational sector through his vast scientific and entrepreneurial experience. 

“Our future lies in scientific discoveries. Without investing in science, we lose the chance to invest in our future. The Oleksiy Skrypnyk Grant is not merely a scholarship but a reflection of Oleksiy’s steadfast belief in a future driven by science. It offers young postgraduates the chance to forge a path in developing a new scientific model for the future, an endeavor Oleksiy always championed.  When science progresses, enterprises have the opportunity to enhance their products and market presence. Science and entrepreneurship only thrive in synergy, not coexistence. In modern Ukrainian society, it’s widely acknowledged that the future belongs to those who believe in the power of science and are ready to invest not just words but actions into it. Let’s look forward to the future and open the grant to return science to being a resource, as Oleksiy always wished,” Anton Skrypnyk adds, emphasizing the importance of enterprise understanding. 

Vadim Ermolayev, the head of UCU’s doctoral program in Intelligent Systems, underscores Oleksiy’s unwavering commitment to science and talent support:

“Oleksiy steadfastly believed that scientific research serves as the most potent catalyst for progress and the enhancement of both companies and the national economy’s competitiveness. Among his moral values and leadership virtues, the advocacy for science and education consistently held the utmost priority. The research grants extended to students of our PhD program in Intelligent Systems stand as a prime example of such investments. Thanks to Oleksii’s foresight, we envision a future where our graduates will wield significant influence in the country’s development.”