Ukraine and Poland have opened an International Shared Research Equipment Centre on Mount Pip Ivan Chornohirskyi in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. The opening ceremony was attended by Ukraine’s Minister of Education and Science Andrii Butenko and Poland’s Minister of Science and Higher Education Marcin Kulasek. At the summit, they also signed a declaration on cooperation in science and higher education.

The Centre is housed in the restored observatory built in 1938, widely known as the “White Elephant”. The facility is located at an altitude of 2,028 metres, on the third-highest peak of the Ukrainian Carpathians.

A telescope for astronomical observations has been installed in the observatory dome. The next stage will be the installation of a robotic system that will enable the telescope to be operated remotely.

The equipment will operate on a shared-use basis. It will be jointly used by Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University and its partner universities in Poland, while any research team will be able to apply to conduct research on a contractual basis.

Astronomy is not the Centre’s only area of activity. Its high-altitude location makes it suitable for meteorological observations, as well as research into the ecosystems, flora, climate, and ecology of the Chornohora massif. Part of the observatory is occupied by Ukraine’s highest-altitude mountain rescue station operated by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

The signed declaration provides for the development of the Carpathian macro-region as an open space for science, higher education, and innovation. The parties agreed to develop cooperation in STEM education, joint research projects and research infrastructure, as well as to support Collegium Carpathicum — an international university network bringing together institutions from Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Another priority is the development of academic mobility programmes and support for young researchers.

Students who are scholarship recipients of the President of Ukraine Foundation for Education, Science and Sports attended the opening of the Centre. The observatory is open for student research and practical training in astronomy, meteorology, biology, geography, and ecology.

Source