Investing in Knowledge: How Education and Business Collaboration Shapes Future Leaders

In Ukraine, the need for new leaders capable of adapting to modern challenges and developing innovative solutions is growing. For the past eight years, the Lviv IT Cluster has been working to ensure that young people receive modern, high-quality education that meets the demands of Ukraine’s tech market. Universities are engines of change, nurturing generations of professionals who drive the industry and create new products to rebuild the country and boost economic growth.

Two meetups held during IT Arena 2024 brought together experts, educators, and representatives from tech companies to discuss key aspects and prospects of cooperation between education and business. During the discussions, participants highlighted the mutual benefits of these partnerships for both parties and shared their own success stories.

Today, Ukrainian universities are increasingly developing accelerators and research labs, but there is still a critical need for more of these initiatives. Abroad, businesses actively support university incubators financially and by involving their experts and mentors in collaboration with educational institutions, recognizing the strategic value and long-term benefits of such investments.

The importance of education-business partnerships was highlighted during the meetup “From Lectures to Innovation: How Universities and Businesses Achieve Synergy for Joint Impact.” The discussion featured Taras Dobko, Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University, and Ivan Babichuk, Vice President of Engineering at EduNav, and a member of the Lviv IT Cluster Supervisory Board.

A great example of a university startup incubator in Ukraine is IdeasLab, operating within the UCU Center for Entrepreneurship. The initiative was launched with the support of the university’s angel venture fund, Angel One, and has already united over 150 teams from 62 universities across Ukraine, demonstrating young people’s strong interest in entrepreneurship. Over 50 startup founders, tech company managers, and entrepreneurs joined IdeasLab this summer as mentors.

“Investing in startups at early stages is crucial because, without this step, there won’t be further progress. However, few are willing to take that risk. Successful partnerships between universities and businesses require a long-term approach and mutual trust. One of the most eye-opening moments for me was realizing that our students are capable of implementing world-class R&D projects, and tech companies are actively involving UCU graduates in research that leads to new product development in Ukraine,” said Taras Dobko, Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University.

Recognizing the lack of innovation spaces in Ukraine that can cultivate the research and entrepreneurial talents of young people, the Lviv IT Cluster is working to address this by creating a Research Center for engineering students in Lviv. The center will bring together cross-sector research laboratories and startup development spaces. It will be a place where students and scientists from various universities can collaborate on projects, deepen their knowledge, attend lectures, and grow entrepreneurial skills.

Each year, more experienced tech specialists willingly become mentors, lecturers, and program coordinators. This cooperation gives higher education institutions access to new knowledge and practical tools while businesses gain motivated young talents and new strategic vectors for their development. This creates an ecosystem where every participant has the opportunity to grow.

Tech professionals contribute to universities independently and through company initiatives as businesses increasingly recognize the advantages of such interactions. Although education-business partnerships are often limited to CSR initiatives, the potential extends beyond reputation boosts or talent recruitment.

Involving professionals in university teaching unlocks new leadership opportunities for students and helps specialists enhance their key skills — management, communication, and research — critical for Senior and Lead-level positions.

The Lviv IT Cluster aims to build long-term, mutually beneficial connections between business and education. One of the association’s focus areas is the Mentorship Support Program, which was discussed at the meetup “From Mentorship to Leadership: A Win-Win Strategy for Companies and Students.” Panelists included Nataliia Solina, CSR Lead at N-iX; Roman Garmash, Studio Manager at Gameloft; Rinat Magomedov, Experience Design Manager at EPAM Ukraine; and Volodymyr Bigday, Principal Systems Engineer at Infineon Technologies and Associate Professor at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.

As part of the Mentors Community, leading professionals from Lviv IT Cluster member companies teach students leadership skills, critical thinking, and self-presentation and help develop student projects. The community has gathered 150 professionals from various companies and fields, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and powerful networking with industry experts.

The Lviv IT Cluster, in cooperation with member companies, has modernized 19 bachelor’s programs across four universities in Lviv as part of the IT Expert project. From the first year, students work in teams and create their own projects, developing entrepreneurial skills.

“The Lviv IT Cluster’s initiatives to improve the quality of technical education have earned the support of universities, creating a powerful win-win effect for companies, students, and academic institutions. But this is only the first step — further development is needed. It’s essential to embed mentorship into company career plans, harmonize mentor-student collaboration, and promote guest lectures at universities. To move forward, the Lviv IT Cluster needs to focus on expanding partnerships between the business sector and educational institutions in innovative and research projects. Innovation is an idea that leads to financial success. Traditionally, university-business partnerships are one of the early stages of the innovation process, unlocking opportunities to create high-value-added products, enhance student qualifications, and involve universities in real production processes, which in turn improves their financial standing,” said Volodymyr Bigday, Principal Systems Engineer at Infineon Technologies and Associate Professor at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.

Close cooperation between tech specialists and students is crucial for the tech industry’s growth. Mentors benefit from professional development, while the younger generation becomes familiar with corporate culture and starts turning their ideas into reality during their student years.

Eight tech companies — SoftServe, GlobalLogic, InterLogic, Ciklum, Intellias, Brainstack_, Inoxoft, and Binariks — have joined the Lviv IT Cluster’s mentor support program. To become part of the community and help educate future specialists, contact Julia Tsymbala, Education Lead: [email protected].