The stages of preparation and holding of a joint scientific conference for students, postgraduates and young scientists at NMU in April 2018, which is the final event within the current DAAD project, were discussed.

The prospect of holding a summer school “Innovative Technologies in Mining” at NMU with the support of DAAD was discussed. The application is planned to be submitted under the program “Strategic Partnership and Networking”. The project will involve the Institute of Biosciences (Prof. G. Heilmeier) and the Institute of Mining (Prof. K. Drebenstedt) from TU FGA, Prof. O.S. Kovrov from NMU, and Prof. O. Kovrov and assoc. prof. I. Klimkina. The educational part of the project will involve masters and postgraduate students of the NMU and other technical universities of Ukraine, experts in the field of innovative technologies in mining.

Also, a working meeting was held with Dr. Ingrid Lange, Head of the International Office of the FGA, to discuss the stages of submitting an application for a joint project with the FGA to create a specialized center or a separate structure at NMU focused on combining modern theoretical developments and innovative technologies. The application is planned to be submitted in 2018 under the DAAD program “Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies” (DIES). It is expected that such a center will facilitate technology transfer and increase the academic mobility of NMU scientists.

But Freiberg is not only a center of scientific thought and intellectual potential. Currently, a Christmas market has opened in the city center, which has become a center of festive mood for both citizens and numerous guests. In the center of the city square, a traditional festive pyramid has been installed, which is the personification of the Christmas holidays. Therefore, Ukrainian students and teachers who come to Freiberg every year have a unique opportunity not only to conduct research but also to get a lot of positive and Christmas mood.