June 18-19, 2026: UJEP team at the Leader 2050 Conference (Wroclaw, Poland)

Professor Valentyna Pidlisniuk participated in the international conference “Leader 2050 Conference: Future Competencies in the Face of Sustainable Development Challenges, Systemic Resilience, and Ecological and Socio-Economic Crises,” organized on June 18–19, 2026 in Wroclaw, Poland.

The conference served as an interdisciplinary forum focused on the competencies that future leaders and graduates will require to address systemic crises arising from technological change, sustainability imperatives, geopolitical instability, environmental hazards, and socio-economic challenges. Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic, was among the conference organizers and partners, together with the Research Federation of WSB-DSW Merito Universities, Merito University in Wrocław, Civitas University (Poland), Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz (Germany), Hacettepe University (Turkey), HAW Hamburg, Germany; Knowledge Information Engineering Group, Poland; the Centre for Energy and Value Issues, Poland; the Research Centre for System Risk Management, Poland; IDEIS DSW University, Poland and the Polish Association of Environmental and Natural Resource Economists. The event was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Climate and Environment of the Republic of Poland.

During the conference, Professor Pidlisniuk delivered an oral presentation entitled “Waste Valorization for Circularity in Miscanthus-Based Phytotechnology.” Together with Dr. Andrzej Żołnowski, Warminsko-Mazurskyi University, Poland she chaired the thematic session “Organic Waste Valorization within the Circular Economy Pathway.” She also presented the progress and achievements of the NATO SPS MYP G6094, highlighting its major outputs and accomplishments for the period 2023–2026.

Several PhD students and young researchers involved in G6094 project-related research presented their findings at the conference, including: PhD student Abdulmannan Rouhani – “Biomass Ash Valorisation within the Circular Economy for Sustainable Soil Management and Crop Productivity”; PhD student Ghazwa Basma – “Waste-Derived Amendments for Brownfield Phytomanagement under Arundo donax Establishment”; PhD student Batoul Hamade and Researcher Dr. Karim Al Souki – “Cultivation of Perennial Ryegrass and White Clover on Brownfield Soils: Effects on Soil Microbial Activity and Biomass Production for Animal Feeding”; Dr. Aigerim Mamirova – “Comparative Evaluation of Two Micro-Biochar Complexes for Promoting Plant Development.”

During the event, Professor Pidlisniuk held a number of meetings and professional discussions with the conference participants, including Professor Joost Platje, Rector of Merito University in Wrocław; Professor Anna Zgrzywa-Ziemak, Merito University in Wrocław; Dr. Katarzyna Mizera, Dean of Merito University in Opole; Dr. Behrooz Gharleghi, GISMA University of Applied Sciences, Germany; Dr. Markus Will, Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz, Germany; Dr. Krystian Wojtkiewicz, Wrocław University of Science and Technology; Professor Cecilia M. Villas Bôas de Almeida, Paulista University, Brazil; Professor Ali Emrouznejad, Surrey Business School, University of Surrey, United Kingdom; and Professor Katja Sirviö, University of Vaasa, Finland.

The conference provided an excellent opportunity to disseminate the results of the NATO SPS MYP G6094 project, strengthen existing international collaborations, and establish new contacts for future research and academic cooperation in the fields of sustainability, circular economy, and environmental technologies.