PARTICIPATION OF KNUTD STUDENTS IN THE “PHARMASTART – THE FIRST STEP INTO THE PROFESSION” PROGRAMME BY ACINO (PART OF ARCERA)

Students of the Department of Industrial Pharmacy at Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, at the invitation of the pharmaceutical company Acino (part of Arcera), will take part in the educational programme “PharmaStart – The First Step into the Profession.”

The programme will run from November 2026 to May 2027 and will consist of 12 online lectures delivered by the company’s managers and experts. The lecture series will cover the entire life cycle of a medicinal product, including its development, registration, manufacturing, quality control, logistics and product launch. Special attention will also be given to career opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry.

Acino has been operating in Ukraine since 2015 and has its own manufacturing facility, the Pharma Start plant, which is certified in accordance with EU Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements. The lectures will draw on the practical experience of specialists directly involved in different stages of medicinal product development and manufacturing. During the sessions, participants will explore real-life manufacturing and business cases and will have the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers.

The lectures will be held online via Microsoft Teams on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 3:00 p.m. Kyiv time. One lecture is scheduled for December and one for January. The same connection link will be used for all sessions: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3370734650118435?p=bLAdya5tmi9oi0s7vg

The lecture topics and list of speakers are available in the table:

No.	Date	Time	Area	Lecture topic	Speakers	Position
1	11.11.2026	15:00–15:45	Introduction to the Pharmaceutical Business	Discover Pharma: From First Acquaintance to Your Own Path	Maryna AFANASIEVA	Director of Innovation and Business Development
2	25.11.2026	15:00–15:45	R&D (Product Research and Development)	From Idea to Product	Oleksandr POLISHCHUK	Head of the Analytical Unit, Development Department
3	09.12.2026	15:00–15:45	Regulatory Affairs	Behind the Scenes of Regulatory Affairs: Registration and Variations Throughout the Life Cycle of a Medicinal Product – from Local Registration to International Markets	Svitlana KOVAL Anastasiia OMELCHUK Oleh PIKHALO	Regulatory Affairs Managers
4	27.01.2027	15:00–15:45	International Standardization, Certification and Quality	Quality Without Borders: International Standards, Certification and Quality Assurance in Pharma	Yuliia SHULHA	International Standardization, Certification and Quality Manager
5	10.02.2027	15:00–15:45	Quality Assurance	Standardization as the Foundation of the Quality Management System in Modern Pharmaceutical Manufacturing	Valentyna SEMENIUK	Head of the Standardization and Quality Unit
6	24.02.2027	15:00–15:45	Quality Assurance	Quality Assurance in the Global Pharmaceutical Business	Oleksandr MITSIUK Oleksandr DOBROVOLNYI	Head of the International Quality Assurance Group Senior Quality Systems Manager
7	10.03.2027	15:00–15:45	Manufacturing	Manufacturing of Solid Dosage Forms: From Raw Materials to Finished Products Step by Step	Natalia PROTASOVA	Production Director
8	24.03.2027	15:00–15:45	Quality Control	Quality First: How We Ensure Trust	Daria KOSENKO Nadiia HORIANSKA	Head of the Quality Control Department Head of Department (Qualified Person), Qualified Persons Department
9	14.04.2027	15:00–15:45	Logistics and Supply Department	Logistics of Health: The Journey of a Medicinal Product from Manufacturing to the Pharmacy Shelf	Artem SUPRUNENKO	Head of the Distributor Relations Department
10	28.04.2027	15:00–15:45	Sales and Marketing Department	Revealing the Secrets of Big Brands: A Day in the Life of a Product Manager	Liudmyla DANYLIUK Elvira ZAKHARTSEVA Liudmyla BILETSKA	Head of OTC Marketing Department Product Managers
11	12.05.2027	15:00–15:45	Sales and Marketing Department	The Profession Up Close: The Work of a Medical Representative, Its Reality, Opportunities and Prospects	Svitlana KOROL Alla KOTYK	Regional Managers
12	26.05.2027	15:00–15:45	Career in Pharma	Your First Job Offer: How to Start a Career in Pharma	Iryna LEBED	Global P&C Business Partner

Participation in the educational programme will be a valuable addition to the academic experience of KNUTD students. The knowledge acquired through their academic courses will be complemented by practical insights drawn from the experience of pharmaceutical industry professionals. Direct interaction with company representatives will also help students gain a better understanding of employers’ expectations of young professionals and explore future career and employment opportunities.

The staff of the Department of Industrial Pharmacy at KNUTD would like to express their sincere gratitude to the experts at Acino (part of Arcera) for inviting our students to participate in the programme and for their openness to engaging with the student community. Educational initiatives of this kind help strengthen the links between academia and the pharmaceutical industry and contribute to training highly qualified professionals for the sector.

We wish all programme participants engaging and informative sessions, fruitful discussions with industry experts, and confidence in taking their first steps towards a successful professional career!

10.11.2026