KSE University and Olin College Partnership Wins PIEoneer Award

Delta Engineering, a program created by KSE University in partnership with the US-based Olin College of Engineering, has won a PIEoneer Award 2026 in the Partnership of the Year category. The case, "Re-shaping engineering education for Ukraine's future," was recognized for creating a new model of engineering education in Ukraine.

The partnership between KSE University and Olin College of Engineering has won a 2026 PIEoneer Award, an international prize often called the "Oscars" of the education sector. In the Partnership of the Year category, the jury recognized the two institutions' work to bring a new model of engineering education to Ukraine and to build Delta Engineering, a bachelor's program. The award was presented in London on September 4.

The winning case, "Re-shaping engineering education for Ukraine's future," describes a partnership that is building a new undergraduate engineering program for students in Ukraine, a country designing its own future in the middle of a war.

Delta Engineering is a KSE University bachelor's program that trains a new generation of engineers for a world where standard solutions no longer work. KSE is building it in partnership with Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, one of the most influential engineering colleges in the United States. Olin has radically rethought engineering education through a practice-based model that teaches future engineers through real-world projects and interdisciplinary work.

KSE is adapting this approach to the Ukrainian context. Olin College contributes to shaping the program's learning design, educational culture, and approach to student projects.

The program is built on project-based learning, interdisciplinarity, and integrated coursework. Working in teams, students tackle open-ended engineering problems, build prototypes, and test solutions that they continuously refine in practice.

"KSE is building engineering education for a Ukraine that is fighting, rebuilding, and determined to be competitive. We need engineers who create technologies, launch manufacturing, modernize infrastructure, and take responsibility for complex systems. That cannot be done in isolation from the rest of the world. That is why we build direct partnerships with universities and companies that set the standard. Olin College of Engineering has rethought how engineering is taught: less theory for theory's sake, more work on real problems, with real teams and products. We are bringing this model to Ukraine," said Alexandra Vacroux, Vice President for Strategic Development at KSE.

The partnership with Olin College is one part of KSE's engineering ecosystem. The university is developing its engineering school through international partnerships, applied research, and close ties with industry.

"Delta Engineering is designed for students who want to work on real engineering problems from their very first years. In the program, they design, test, make mistakes, improve their solutions, and learn to work in teams. The partnership with Olin College helps KSE build a learning environment where a strong technical foundation is combined with design, entrepreneurship, and real-world context. Winning the PIEoneer Award confirms that this model of engineering education attracts international interest," said Tymofii Brik, Rector of KSE University.

In 2026, KSE also launched a new bachelor's program, Innovative Manufacturing Engineering, together with the Ukrainian company Fire Point. The university also runs a joint master's program in micro- and nanoelectronics with ETH Zurich, one of the world's most influential technical universities. Program partners include Bosch, Melexis, Renesas, and Avnet. KSE has a long-term research collaboration with Saab on applied research in UAVs and microelectronics, and has signed more than 13 memoranda of understanding with military and engineering universities and academies in the United States and Europe.