The Fund of the President of Ukraine Announces Applications for the STEM Leadership School

Teachers of mathematics and computer science, together with two students in grades 9–11, can apply from 18 August to 18 September 2026.

The Fund of the President of Ukraine for Education, Science, and Sports is launching the STEM Leadership School. The new educational programme will help teams from general secondary education institutions develop or improve their own STEM project, receive mentoring support, and secure a micro-grant to implement it.

The goal of the STEM Leadership School is to support talented teachers and students, improve the quality and popularity of STEM education in Ukraine, and build a nationwide network of STEM representatives.

"The future of our country depends on the popularity and quality of STEM education. We want to pilot a new approach to promoting mathematics in schools, where not only the teacher but also students who love mathematics help promote STEM education — a 'peer-to-peer' approach. That's why we invited teams of teachers and senior students to take part. We want them to work together to come up with an idea for promoting STEM subjects, present a project, and implement it at their school. To make that possible, the programme provides training, exposure to best practices, and mentoring support. For the Fund, it's important to see new or improved STEM projects emerge in schools that help promote these subjects among Ukrainian young people,"

said Yuriy Petrushenko, Director of the Fund of the President of Ukraine for Education, Science, and Sports.

Who can apply

The competitive programme is open to teams of three: a mathematics or computer science teacher from a general secondary education institution, and two of their students in grades 9–11. The students may be taught by this teacher in class or in an extracurricular club.

The teacher submits the application on behalf of the team. The online application should describe the teacher’s teaching experience and motivation, their experience implementing STEM initiatives, the students’ achievements, and their roles within the team. The team must also submit a concept and implementation plan for their idea, confirm their availability for five days of in-person training, and provide consent to the processing of personal data.

The selection committee will assess practical experience teaching mathematics, computer science, or information technology; experience delivering educational, outreach, or social STEM projects; and how clearly the concept for the future educational product or activity has been defined.

How the programme is structured

The first stage is planned for the 2026 school autumn break (approximately 26–30 October). Winning teams will take part in a five-day in-person course featuring leading experts in STEM fields and specialists in promoting them. The programme will cover team building, leadership development, project-based learning, developing STEM solutions, partnerships, international experience, and building a network of STEM education representatives. At the end of the training, teams will present their projects.

The second stage is planned for November–December 2026. Teams will create or improve STEM projects at their schools with support from mentors. This could be a startup, an educational project, a web app, a club, an elective course, a YouTube channel or blog, or a themed school event. Winning teams will receive micro-grants of up to UAH 25,000 to fund ideas aimed at promoting STEM specialisations.

After each stage, winning teams will report on their results and present the projects they’ve developed. The final report and presentation are planned for January–February 2027.

Key dates

• Applications open: from 18 August 2026 through 18 September 2026 inclusive.
• Expert selection: by 5 October 2026.
• First stage (training): late October 2026.
• Second stage (implementation): November–December 2026.
• Final reporting and presentation: January–February 2027.

You can submit your application via the link.

The STEM Leadership School is delivered by the Fund of the President of Ukraine for Education, Science, and Sports in partnership with the Institute of Mathematics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the V. M. Glushkov Institute of Cybernetics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, with financial support from the “Mathematical Olympus” Charitable Foundation.

Background

The Fund of the President of Ukraine for Education, Science, and Sports is a state institution established to develop human capital and support talented young people, researchers, and athletes. The Fund runs scholarship and grant programmes, international cooperation initiatives, and projects aimed at creating new opportunities for Ukrainian youth and the professional community.