Science and Education

In 2025, InterChem SLC was included in the ranking of the largest business investors in Ukrainian education.

According to research by the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) and the business publication delo.ua, a list of Ukrainian companies making a significant contribution to education — particularly during the full-scale war — was compiled.

The “Top Business Investors in Education” ranking is based on financial figures — the actual funds invested in education during wartime — as well as on the Philanthropic Education Index, calculated individually for each company.

As part of the “Investing in Education” project, the pharmaceutical company InterChem SLC was also named among the Top 13 best educational projects initiated by Ukrainian businesses. The Odesa-based manufacturer was awarded the title “Guardian of Critical Knowledge” for supporting chemical education — a field facing an acute shortage of qualified professionals that threatens its survival.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion alone, InterChem SLC has invested nearly ₴20 million in supporting and developing national education. Yet, the company’s contribution to education spans more than three decades of continuous activity.

The Odesa-based manufacturer is known for its strong philanthropic stance and numerous corporate social responsibility projects. InterChem SLC is also one of Ukraine’s largest private donors. The company recognizes that, in times of war, corporate philanthropy plays a particularly crucial role.

Educational initiatives hold a special place among InterChem’s charitable activities, with key areas and beneficiaries including:

• specialized Ukrainian universities;

• secondary schools and boarding institutions for children with disabilities;

• professional development and additional training for employees;

• international cooperation and investment in Ukraine’s education sector;

• projects at the intersection of education and cultural heritage preservation.

“Investment in education ensures the stability of high-tech industries — and the future workforce of our company.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing is a highly specialized, knowledge-intensive sector that demands true professionals — not only with diplomas but with real expertise and skills.

Between 2022 and 2025, we have invested about ₴20 million in educational development. Our support of educational institutions has continued for decades. Through partnerships with leading universities, we expand our workforce, prevent talent shortages, and create favorable conditions for scientific growth.

This includes scholarships, awards, internships, educational excursions, funding of educational projects, and assistance in equipping and modernizing laboratories and classrooms. The quality of future professionals depends on these efforts,” — commented InterChem SLC CEO Anatoliy Reder.

Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University

InterChem SLC has a long-standing and productive partnership with Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University, alma mater for many of the company’s employees — including the entire management team.

For example, Ihor Stelmakh, InterChem’s Production Director and an expert in organic, theoretical, and stereochemistry, previously served as an associate professor at the university’s chemistry faculty, where he helped establish the computer lab. Meanwhile, CEO Anatoliy Reder — a distinguished alumnus and Honorary Professor of the university — graduated with honors from the same faculty.

The company provides monthly scholarships for chemistry students and enhanced stipends for talented researchers, assists with the renovation of educational facilities, purchases of equipment, and other urgent needs, and regularly supports such initiatives through sponsorships. A well-established and ongoing tradition also includes tours and internships for chemistry students at the company’s production facilities.

Kharkiv National University of Pharmacy (NUPh)

InterChem SLC maintains a similarly productive and long-term partnership with the Kharkiv National University of Pharmacy. The company has cooperated for many years with this leading academic institution, its Clinical and Diagnostic Center, and the university’s specialized departments, while also providing sponsorship support for the university’s educational and research activities.

In 2022, to mark the anniversary of NUPh, InterChem SLC contributed to financing a scholarship-based educational project for future pharmacists.

O.V. Bogatsky Physico-Chemical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU)

The Physico-Chemical Institute named after Academician Oleksii Bogatsky of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine has been a partner and scientific inspiration for InterChem SLC since the very beginning of the company’s operations.

Exceptional scientific expertise, joint development of original pharmaceutical substances, and multiple state awards in the field of science and technology have united the institute and the manufacturer for over three decades.

It was here, in the 1980s, that InterChem’s CEO Anatoliy Reder earned his PhD in Chemistry before heading for postgraduate training at leading universities in the United Kingdom.

There, he turned down a promising academic career to establish a unique pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprise in his home country, together with close colleagues. Today, the company supports the renovation and modernization of the institute’s laboratories, classrooms, and conference halls.

Primary and Secondary Education

The pharmaceutical manufacturer does not overlook primary and secondary education, supporting specialized schools and boarding institutions. In addition, in 2023, the company joined the United24 initiative “The Power of Unity.”

As part of the project, the company’s CEO personally attended Sir Richard Branson’s charity gala in New York, where guests jointly raised funds to rebuild a destroyed school in Maryanivka, Kyiv region. This was just one of many United24 initiatives supported by the manufacturer—with total contributions exceeding ₴12 million.

Inside InterChem SLC

The company employs around 1,000 people, with special attention given to their comfort and favorable working conditions. For two consecutive years, InterChem SLC has been included in the ranking of Ukraine’s Best Employers, and in 2024 the company received a special award in the category “Effective Solutions in Management.”

The pharmaceutical manufacturer takes a strategic approach to HR, investing in employee benefit programs, a well-designed work environment, training and scholarship programs, and the recruitment of specialists from frontline regions.

A logical continuation of these efforts is internal education — the ongoing professional development of pharmaceutical specialists and production staff through training programs, courses, seminars, and conferences. During the full-scale invasion, the company also introduced a first aid course with hands-on training using simulation models.

All educational initiatives that existed before the war have also been preserved, including the free English-language program “English Speaking Club” at InterChem SLC, which has been successfully running for over two decades.

Cultural, Educational, and International Initiatives

The company pays special attention to projects that combine education and cultural heritage preservation.
One prominent example is the large-scale project to dehumidify the structures of Saint Sophia Cathedral of Kyiv, implemented by InterChem SLC in partnership with other organizations.

Later, the company presented Saint Sophia Cathedral with a special 3D prism used to project a volumetric hologram of the true face of Yaroslav the Wise. This project helped broaden public awareness of Ukraine’s authentic historical heritage, which has been repeatedly distorted or appropriated by the enemy over centuries. At InterChem SLC, it is strongly believed that at a time when education also means restoring lost and distorted historical knowledge, such a contribution is of exceptional value.

The company also joined the “Boryviter. Restoration” project, during which 15 artists recreated the mosaic panel by Alla Horska, destroyed by Russian forces in Mariupol in 2022. The initiative was carried out with the support of the Alla Horska and Viktor Zakretsky Foundation, the Ukraine WOW NGO, and Ukrainian businesses.

InterChem SLC was among the first to join the initiative, becoming a guardian of a fragment of the restored masterpiece. A full-scale replica of the mosaic was later presented in London by Oleksandr Usyk.

The company continues its efforts to improve the educational and cultural environment through international engagement. InterChem SLC CEO Anatoliy Reder participates in the work of the Business Advisory Council (BAC) as a permanent delegate representing Ukraine.

It is an advisory body of the Ukraine Donor Platform, jointly established by the European Union, Ukraine, and the G7, which works to improve the country’s business environment and attract foreign investment — including into the education sector.