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14 April 2026
The "Smart Materials" team, composed of experienced scientists from the G.V. Kurdyumov Institute of Metal Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, achieved a historic breakthrough by becoming the first Ukrainian team to reach the top five worldwide at the international final of the prestigious ActInSpace 2026 hackathon in Bordeaux, France.
ActInSpace is a global initiative led by the French Space Agency (CNES) and the European Space Agency (ESA), uniting innovators from all continents. This year, representatives from over 100 cities participated, with the primary challenge being the adaptation of real space patents into practical business solutions.
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The Ukrainian team—comprising Georgiy Firstov, Vira Filatova, Galina Mykhailova, Vyacheslav Slipchenko, and Anton Filatov—tackled a challenge set by CNES to create universal technologies for both Earth and space. The scientists presented a unique self-deploying antenna crafted from an innovative shape-memory alloy. The international jury highly praised the depth of their scientific expertise and the tangible prospects of applying these new alloys in future space missions.
The journey began with a competitive national selection involving 19 teams, where the jury crowned "Smart Materials" as the Ukrainian national winner. In the international semi-finals, the team confidently outshone three competitors to secure a spot in the "Big Five" finalists. In total, representatives from 29 countries took part in the final stage of the Hackathon, where the Ukrainians competed on equal footing with the world's best teams (victory was ultimately awarded to the team from Senegal).
Beyond the competition, the visit to Bordeaux served as a powerful platform for networking. The Institute of Metal Physics team held a series of strategic meetings:
With the Director of Strategic Development of the French Space Agency (CNES);
With specialists from the Way4space space cluster;
With experts from the Telecom Valley association.
These connections pave the way for new collaborative scientific projects and the integration of Ukrainian innovations into the European space ecosystem.
The final event took place at Cité du Vin—a high-tech wine museum known for its iconic curved glass and aluminum architecture, which hosts interactive exhibitions and tastings.
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