The first safe space, CLUST SPACE, officially began operating on the territory of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute for students. This space not only ensures a safe learning environment during times of war but also serves as a hub for enriching students' knowledge, creativity, and innovation. After the end of the war, the smart shelter will continue its activity, providing students with additional opportunities for self-expression and event organization.
The official opening of CLUST SPACE took place on January 25th in Kyiv at the library of the Sikorsky Polytechnic Institute. Government, education, business, and civil society representatives attended the event. The project initiator, entrepreneur, investor, and founder of the venture builder CLUST and the CEO of the venture fund Adventures Lab, Ruslan Tymofieiev, was also present at the opening in an online format.
What is the CLUST SPACE project?
During the event, the project initiator, Ruslan Tymofieiev, talked about the origins of the idea of building a smart shelter and the individuals who helped implement the project. Several speakers participated in the event, including the rector of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Mykhailo Zgurovsky, the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Denys Kurbatov, the head of Sikorsky Challenge, Inna Maliukova, and others.
During the event, Ruslan Tymofieiev commented that CLUST SPACE is not just a response to current challenges but also a systematic effort towards developing student life. The project represents a powerful safety solution that can be implemented in other regions of Ukraine and beyond its borders.
Ruslan Tymofieiev decided to invest in education very thoughtfully. For the entrepreneur, the topic of education is highly significant because, throughout many years of managing businesses abroad and communicating with foreign entrepreneurs, Ruslan Tymofieiev observed that Ukrainian professionals are the most qualified, surpassing their colleagues from abroad both in terms of education level and responsibility in task accomplishment.
Investment holding Freedom Holding Corp, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the "Svichado" Charitable Foundation, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the Kyiv City State Administration, and the Usyk Fund participated in the project.
How can students use the CLUST SPACE?
Ruslan Tymofieiev notes that they created a modern educational space covering an area of 600 square meters and designed it to accommodate over 500 people during air alarms. In addition to the large open space, there are meeting rooms for online meetings, reading rooms, a cafeteria, toilets, and more.
The unique feature of the space is that it can be used not only during air alarms but also in times of safety. Ruslan Tymofieiev notes that after our victory and the war's end, this space will not close but will operate as a coworking space, library reading room, and event hall. Ruslan Tymofieiev envisions that CLUST SPACE will become a platform for communication between students and businesses, as the leading technology companies of Ukraine will be able to organize their career orientation events and establish connections with talented youth, acquiring technical specialties for future hiring.
In turn, the lecturer from KPI noted that he would gladly welcome the country's entire scientific and technical community into the space and would contribute to transforming CLUST SPACE into a nationwide educational hub.
