International relations of the Academy began to develop in 1995-1996.The first contacts were with two German Universities, the East European University Center Hohenheim (Stuttgart) and agricultural school, “DEULA” (Nienburg).

University Hohenheim (Stuttgart) is one of the leading universities in Germany for many years. Students can take masters and postgraduate courses.

Agricultural School “DEULA” is the educational establishment which is subordinated to the Chamber of Agriculture of district Nienburg. This school trains farmers, gardeners, farm machinery mechanics, metalworkers, carpenters from Germany. The school trains students from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, new independent states and overseas countries (especially from Brazil).These students are taught agriculture and horticulture.

Our students are trained at this school and have practical training on farms of Lower Saxony. The term is 12 months, and classes are one day a week during the training period. At the end of training students take exams on crop-growing, livestock breeding, mechanization and German and receive a certificate after leaving school “DEULA”.

Until 1998, the Academy's international activities were inactive, with no result-oriented focus, which sometimes led to the loss of prospective international contacts and projects. Therefore, in 1998, with the aim of expanding the international contacts of the Academy, the position of Vice-Rector for International Relations was introduced, which since its appearance and is currently occupied by the Vice-Rector for Scientific-Pedagogical, Scientific Work, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor, Professor of the Department of Ecology, Environmental Protection environment and balanced nature management Gorb Oleg.

The International Department of PSAA was created in 2000. Professor Antonina Kalinichenko, Ph.D. of agricultural science, Associate Professor Andriy Getya, Ph.D. of historical science, Professor Elena Yakubenko began working at this Department.

Academy at various times Hetya Andriy, Dmitry Fedoseyenko, Oleksandr Antonov, Olga Getya, Galyna Tymoshenko, Anna Hereles were the Heads of International Department. Now the position of Head of International Department embraces Yana Radionova.

Therefore, Cooperation with the German farmers union began and continued in 1998 and our students had practice on Germany farms. During this practice, students are taught all the processes which are used on farms.

During this practice, for 4-6 months, higher education graduates study the technological processes of the respective farms and learn from the management experience.

In 1998 our Academy took part in the competitions together with the University Hohenheim, Austrian University of field crops, and in 1999 won a tender for the implementation of the joint Ukrainian- German-Austrian three-years project- “Tempus Tacis”. The aim is the introduction of the new academy master’s course “Ecological and economic crop-growing”. A course was introduced in 2001 and continues to successfully operate nowadays. Every year 25 students study at this course. During the project over 50 lecturers had a period of trainee in Germany and Austria.

Due to the financial support of this project, the Academy got the local computer network with a dedicated Internet line, the research laboratory was equipped at the agronomy Department and the Language center was established. The Language center of the Academy is the best center in Poltava and one of two centers in Ukraine, which are licensed to perform tests in German “DAF”. The center gives a possibility to study English, German, French and Polish. The center cooperates with the Goethe Institute and the German Academic Exchange Service. Ph.D. of philology science, senior lecturer of department of foreign languages Olena Shishlina was the head of the center till 2012. Now the head of the center is senior lecturer in the department of foreign languages and Ukraine studying Olena Savenkova.

Can be considered rather important the fact that due to this project the graduate of agronomy faculty Oleg Kryvynets successfully graduated from University of Hohenheim; defended his thesis in Vienna and works there graduate of the faculty of mechanization Vitaliy Kryvoruchko.

The project coordinator of our academy was vice-rector for International Relations, candidate of agricultural sciences, associate professor - Oleg Gorb and Project Manager was the Head of International Department, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor - Andriy Getya.

Andriy Getya was one of the first lecturers of the Academy which won a scholarship DAAD and for 18 months (1998-1999) he carried out his research at the University Hohenheim. Associate professor Mykola Shevnikov and associate professor Leonid Kolesnikov made their researches.

Dr. Jurgen Kurobka, an expert of German International Centre of Migration, worked at the Academy since 1996 to 1998. In 1998 he was replaced by Dr. Rainer Ploze who worked as Rector’s advisor on international issues for nearly 10 years. He made an effort to broaden and deepen contacts of PSAA with German institutions and organizations.

Since 1999 research and teaching staff of our Academy has been able to attend the international exhibitions “Eurotir” and “Aritechnic” (Hannover), “Green Week” (Berlin), and international exhibitions in Belgium and Poland.

Since 1998 our students have had the opportunity to study at the Department of International Management of University of Applied Sciences “Wiehnstefan” in Bavaria, in Frazinh and Trizdorf. Students learn agriculture, environmental protection and international management.

Ukrainian students can enter the Department of International Management after the 4-6-months practice. About 40% of the student-trainees study at the Department of International Management (Master Course of “MBA in Agriculture”).

Since 2002 the same course has been introduced by the 3-years European Ukrainian-German-Irish project- Tempus Tacis (M_JEP 22218-2001). Our Academy together with the National Agrarian University of Ukraine, Sumy State University and two European partners-University of Applied Sciences “Weihnstefan” and University of Dublin introduced this project in 2002-2004.

The final international conference on the presentation of the book "Production Economics" was held June 16-17 2005. This book was issued at the cost of the project and is now this is the main book for students of Master Course of “MBA in Agriculture”. In 2005 the Department of Economics and Management of our academy got the license for new specialty of Administrative Management it also can be considered a successful result of the completion of this project.

Graduates of the Master’s course of “MBA in Agriculture” receive a Ukrainian Master’s standard diploma form and a certificate of German University of Applied Sciences "Weihnstefan". The graduate of the department Irina Buksha has graduated from Dublin University; she lives and works in Ireland.

All these events can be considered as the first real step of our Academy in education within the Bologna agreement.

International Ukrainian-Austrian-Sri Lanka research project “Biological nitrogen fixation by legumes in the conditions of water stress” (BIO Fix) was coordinated by Ph.D. of chemical science Dmitry Fedoseyenko in 2002-2003. In 2006 he won a grant and researches and works at the University of Florida.

The cooperation with the Swedish Agricultural University and City College of agriculture of Retvik started in 2002. Our students are trained at the college in the town of Retvik. These structural and organizational changes expand the academy’s international activity significantly.

Research and teaching staff of the Academy has close cooperation with the Centre for Agronomic Research in province of Hainaut (Belgium). In the result of this collaboration our lecturers visit Belgium and have the opportunity to develop their skills and use the up-to-date European laboratory equipment.

Two international projects: “Agricultural Marketing Project in Ukraine” and the “Creating an official extension in Poltava region” were implemented at the same time since 2003 to 2007.

“Agricultural Marketing Project in Ukraine” was funded by the U.S. government by the means of the company “LAND O’LAKES” to improve logistics and marketing sales of farmers’ fruit and vegetables.

“Creating official advisory services in Poltava region” was funded by the Government of Germany with the help of the “Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry”. Extension activity in the Poltava region provides educational and consulting services to agricultural producers of different form of ownership.

The cooperation with the Warsaw National Agricultural University and the Hungarian Agricultural University (Sarvash) started in 2005. The relations with Hungary were expanded and the agreement was signed with the University of Debrecen.

The Peace Corps volunteer, Jennifer Vale worked at the Academy for 2 years (2005-2007). Due to her activity cooperation with American universities of Illinois and the University PURDUE (Indiana) began.

In 2006 the Ukrainian-German-Polish consortium and PSAA won two-year Tempus Tacis Projects “Creating agro ecological center of Poltava region”.

European Universities: Hohenheim University, University of Stuttgart, Municipality Filderstat (Germany), National Agricultural University of Warsaw (Poland) took part in this project. Such institutions as the Department of Veterinary Medicine in the Poltava Region, State Administration for Environmental Protection in Poltava region, Yuriy Kondratyuk Poltava National Technical University and other organizations were involved in this work.

“Agro Ecological Center of Poltava region” was created in the result of this project.

Poltava regional public organization “Official Agricultural Advisory Service” together with PSAA successfully completed another environmental project funding by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. This project was aimed at spreading the experience of the private enterprise “Agroekolohiya” founded by the Hero of Ukraine Semen Antonets. His work is devoted to farming in the Poltava region.

In 2009 the Academy signed an agreement with the French-Romanian Institute of Agriculture ISFRADA. According to this agreement our Bachelors can study in Romania and France and get two master’s degrees in those countries. The most valuable in this agreement guarantee graduates’ employment at French firms.

Since 2009 our graduates have had opportunities to take Post-graduates course on the specialty “Ecology” in Singapore at Nayanh Technical University at the expense of “SINGA”.

In 2010, the Academy participated in the Ukrainian-Polish project "Entrepreneurship of women in rural areas in the field of green tourism", which provided studying and trainings on the topic "Green tourism", during which Polish experts led by Professor Kazimysh Koshinyak-Kamesh shared their experience with Poltava colleagues.

From 2010 to 2013, the Academy actively participated in the Ukrainian-Netherlands-Belgian project "Pellets 4 power", result of this participation - we have created a "Bioenergy Research Center", on which began and continued the work on the development of ecological and agronomic principles of cultivation and processing of energy crops.

Since 2011, the Polish-Ukrainian educational project is being implemented, within which the Ecological Laboratory for Renewable Energy Research was established on the basis of the Academy, which presents solar collectors of various types, a heat pump and other unique equipment for the majority of Polish production for Ukraine. Together with Polish colleagues, a textbook "Renewable Energy Sources" was published, which serves as a basis for studying the discipline of the same name by students of all specialties of our academy.

In 2012, together with the German company “HAKA”, the Academy created and opened a training and exhibition hall with the most up-to-date equipment used in the pig industry. This form of cooperation enables higher education applicants to undertake hands-on training on the latest models of technology, and the German firm uses the above hall to expand its customer base.

According to a similar algorithm, in 2012, a training and exhibition platform for the Austrian firm "Pertinger" was created at the Academy's premises, where the Academy’s HEAs can study the latest models of various agricultural machinery produced by the aforementioned company.

Since 2010, the Academy has been expanding with various universities, institutions and organizations of the Republic of Poland. Therefore, in the year 20012, a Polish teacher, Ms. Monika Lotosh, was invited to improve the study of higher education students and teachers of the Academy of Polish, and from 2015 to 2019, teacher Monika Patsukevich was employed. Currently, the appropriate position is occupied by language specialist Lukash Vrona.

The corresponding initiative of the Academy was approved by the Polish side and, as a result, in 2013, with the support of the General Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Kharkiv and the Foundation for Assistance to Poles in the East, an official opening was held at the POLISH CENTER Academy, which has been headed since 2013 by Olena Koshchenko, and since 2018 by Delia Tatiana Mykolayivna.

The "Polish Center" is the center for the study of the Polish language by everyone and the spread of Polish culture in the territory of not only the Academy but also the whole Poltava region. In October 2013, the Polish delegation made an official visit to the Poltava State Agrarian Academy to monitor the activities of the Center.

On the basis of the Polish Center, Ms. Monica Lotosh gave lectures on Polish for Ukrainian students and organized various events: Celebration of the Independence Day of Poland on September 16, 2013; open lesson on Christmas Eve (December 19, 2013); celebration of the 200th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko's birthday (March 10, 2014); Mickiewicz-Shevchenko Round Table (March 27, 2014); celebration of Easter holidays (April 17, 2014); lecture «Jan Krassky. The Polish Way of Freedom” (May 14, 2014); Europe Days in Poltava (May 17, 2014).

Main activities of the Polish Center: assistance in learning the Polish language; organization of conferences, seminars, round tables aimed at spreading knowledge about Poland, its culture, science and art, problems of Polish-Ukrainian relations; promotion of Polish scientific achievements in Ukraine; establishing cooperation with Polish institutions; Dissemination of information about Polish universities, provision of study opportunities at Polish universities, in particular under the Dual Degree Program, subject to the study of Ukrainian HE in Poland; dissemination of information on European programs and initiatives in the field of education.

Since 2012, the masters of the Academy have the opportunity to study simultaneously in our and in various Polish higher education institutions and to receive in parallel with a Ukrainian diploma a Polish diploma of the state model, which enables employment in the countries of the European Union (hereinafter - the EU) without undergoing the procedure of notification of the Ukrainian diploma and without obtaining a work permit within the EU.

2013 saw the creation of a Counseling Center for Distance Learning of Higher Education Applicants in Limassol (Cyprus) based on INECO Capital LTD, and in January 2014 a similar center was established in Tbilisi (Georgia) on the basis of the Caucasus + Training Center ».

Regarding HEI practice bases abroad, it should be noted that Academy higher education applicants have the opportunity to study abroad (internships) in countries such as Poland, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Finland , Sweden, Canada, Turkey, the US, and even Australia and New Zealand.

Every year at the Academy, there are international seminars, conferences, and foreign experts give lectures or conduct seminars for our students and graduate students.

  Within the framework of the aforementioned cooperation, leading specialists of research institutions, enterprises, organizations and scientific and pedagogical staff from leading educational establishments of foreign countries were involved at various times in the Academy's teaching activities.

Since 2014, the Academy has been actively participating in the Erasmus + Academic Mobility Programs, staff of the Academy Gorb O.O. (Professor of the Department of Ecology of Balanced Environmental Management and Environmental Protection, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical, Scientific Work), V. Pisarenko,( Doctor of Economics, Professor, Head of Marketing Department), Vakulenko Y.V. (Associate Professor of Information Systems and Technologies), Dorofeev O.V. (Professor of Management), Kapitalova TI (Head of International Relations) , Koshenko O.M. (Head of Polish Center) passed and scientific and pedagogical internships based on this project.

Within the framework of the Erasmus + program, the Academy has concluded inter-institutional agreements with higher education institutions such as the University of Applied Sciences Nurtingen-Geislingen (Germany) 2014–2021, and the University of Hohenheim (Stuttgart, Germany) 2014–2020. Higher School of Trade and Services in Poznan (Poland) 2014–2021, with the University of Natural Sciences in Poznan (Poland) 2017–2019, and the Higher School of Business in Dombrowa Gurnichi (Poland) 2017–2020.

Thanks to such cooperation, Higher Education applicants Anastasia Konoplya         ( Faculty of Economics and Management) and Samburska Karina (Faculty of Economics and Management), Dinets Julia (Faculty of Economics and Management) 2016-2017 academic year received internships at the Higher School of Trade and Services in Poznan .

As a result of the collaboration on academic mobility with Hohenheim University, Kozhushko Sergiy (Master of Economics and Management), Tkachenko Yaroslava (Master of Agricultural Technology and Ecology) studied the course Economics and Business Administration in the academic year 2016-2017. Postgraduate student of the department of marketing Bereznytsky Konstantin conducted research on the basis of the University in accordance with the topic of the dissertation.

The Poltava State Agrarian Academy and the WSB Academy in Dombrowa Gurnichi (Poland) in 2016 have concluded a cooperation agreement aimed at the functioning of the Parallel European Diploma project. This project enables our Academy's higher education students to obtain a European diploma, which is recognized in all countries of the European Union. Over the course of 4 years, the project has been used by over 250 applicants for higher education, receiving European-level diplomas, successfully completing the curriculum.

AHE Academies are participating in the European Union Erasmus + program on international youth exchange on the topic: "YOUTH for YOUTH", in particular the chairperson of the student council Tomenko Dmitry. From September 3, 2018 to December 07, 2018, the undergraduate student of the Faculty of Agrotechnology and Ecology Podlesnyi Andrii studied at a higher education institution abroad at the University de Strasbourg (France).

 

In 2017, Samoylyk Julia and Gereles Anna the staff of Academy participated in the USDA's Department of Agriculture (FEP) exchange program under the auspices of the Foreign Agricultural Service, established in 1995. The purpose of the program was to bring in higher education agricultural instructors in the United States to improve the knowledge and ability to teach the agricultural economy, marketing and agribusiness management in a market economy.

Today, the academicals teaching staff of the Academy continues its fruitful cooperation with the Center for Agronomic Research of Hainaut Province (Belgium), which began in 2003. Thanks to this cooperation with short-term visits, our staff visit Belgium, and scientists from our Academy have the opportunity to learn the skills of working on the European laboratory equipment. In 2019, information and information sources about Belgium was opened, namely tourism, culture and education in the province of Walloon, and anyone can enjoy this literature.

From 2018, Academy's higher education applicants have an opportunity to go abroad (internship) in Bulgaria.

In 2019, a program under the auspices of the British Ministry of Agriculture DEFRA, the British Home Office and the UK's state counteraction to modern-day slavery has been launched within the Academy, whereby the academy’s higher education applicants have the opportunity to undergo internships in the UK.

One of the Program Operators is Concordia (UK) Ltd, which cooperates with agencies on this program in Ukraine. Concordia representatives visit each farm several times during the season, interact with higher education applicants, and inspect living conditions and jobs that are strictly controlled by the UK government through a GLAA licensing body whose primary purpose is to counter modern slavery.

In 2019 with the support of the German Academic Exchanges Service (DAAD) and the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany (AA) Samoylyk Julia Vasylivna, associate professor of the Department of Enterprise Economics passed internship within the framework of a pilot project on sustainable internationalization of Ukrainian research structures in the context of globalization of the agro-food sector of Ukraine (UAFoodTrade).

Within the framework of cooperation under the official agreements in force between the Poltava State Agrarian Academy and the University of Opole (Poland) during 2019, the following staff were trained: Nagorna S.V. (Assistant Professor of the Department of Ecology, Balanced Environmental Management and Environmental Protection) Eremko L.S. (Associate Professor of the Department of Plant Growing), Bagan A.V. (Associate Professor of the Department of Breeding, Seed and Genetics), Yurchenko S.O. (Associate Professor of the Department of Seed Breeding and Genetics), Minkova O.G. (Associate Professor of the Department of Information Systems and technology).

In 2019 Sakhno T.V., Doctor of Chemical Sciences presented a report on "Synthesis of iron nanoparticles by thermal decomposition of diironacarbonyl in ionic liquid and potential use of ferromagnetic dispersions for mixing studies in source fluids" at Scientific National Assembly attended by more than 12,000 participants (chemical specialists) from all over the world.

Currently, thanks to the Academy's extensive and strong international relations with more than 20 countries (Canada, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Ireland, Turkey, Belgium , Bulgaria, USA, Singapore, China, Australia) Higher education applicants have the opportunity to have trainings (internships) abroad and participate in scholarship programs, and academicals teaching staff of the Academy to undergo international internships and advanced training.

Therefore, the Poltava State Agrarian Academy has been steadily expanding its international relations, in particular in recent years the cooperation with educational institutions of the European Union countries has been deepening. Particularly relevant are the issues of strategic development of relations between European and Ukrainian higher education institutions, cooperation between higher education institutions of different sectors of the EU economy, development of cooperation in the field of research, development and design.