On January 26, 2026, as part of the implementation of the project “Protection of biodiversity of the cross-border territories of Ukraine and Poland from invasive populations of borscht (Heracleum)”, a working meeting of representatives of the main partner – the Lviv Agrarian Chamber – was held with the team of the Lviv National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after S. Gzhitskyi (Partner 1).

The meeting was dedicated to the discussion of the activities planned to be implemented within the framework of the project in the current year and the issue of the use of funds by each partner of the project.

The Lviv Agrarian Chamber was represented at the meeting by: Ihor Vuytsyk – project manager, Anna Kushchak – communications manager and David Kravchenko – procurement manager.

Participants of the meeting from Partner 1 were: Ivan Shuvar – Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Technologies and Environmental Protection, Oksana Ovchinnikova – project manager, and members of the project team – Bohdan Gulko, Hanna Korpita, Volodymyr Balkovskyi, Oksana Levinska. Mykhailo Podolyak – vice-rector for scientific and pedagogical work and international cooperation of the Lviv National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after S. Gzhitsky

was also invited to the meeting.

Participants of the meeting discussed the tasks that Partner 1 plans to perform in 2026, considered problematic issues with the purchase of equipment and the state of use of the funds of the first tranche. Special attention was paid to the procedure for preparing and submitting the first interim report in the CST 2021 system.

Oksana Ovchinnikova reported on the progress of preparation of the tender documentation for the purchase of computers and protective equipment, and also told about the fact that it was not possible to purchase catering services due to the fact that there were no offers in two tenders. A new tender is currently being prepared.

Bohdan Gulko noted that the sprayer planned in the project cannot be purchased in Ukraine at the moment and it does not fully meet the requirements for working in rough mountainous terrain. It is necessary to change the parameters of the sprayer in order to be able to purchase it and use it as intended.

Mykhailo Podolyak, vice-rector for scientific and pedagogical work and international cooperation of the Lviv National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after S. Gzhitskoho noted that the University is very interested in the high-quality and timely implementation of this project and all necessary support from the University is provided.

Ihor Vuytsyk, the project manager, emphasized that Partner 1 used less than 20 percent of the funds of the first tranche during the five months of active implementation of the project. That is why it is necessary to actively conduct all planned purchases in the near future and submit reports in a high-quality and timely manner in order to receive the next tranche at the scheduled time.

Based on the results of the discussion, the participants of the meeting agreed on the terms of the next purchases, the changes that should be made to the project for the purchase of the necessary equipment, and the preparation and entry into the CST 20 system of the first interim financial and descriptive reports.

The meeting was very constructive and confirmed the readiness of the partners for joint and active work on the implementation of project tasks, despite the composition of working conditions during blackouts and air strikes.

Source. Lviv Agrarian Chamber