Strong together: 800,000 euros for Ukrainian universities in Giessen!

Strong together: 800,000 euros for Ukrainian universities in Giessen!

In a powerful step to support Ukrainian educational institutions after the devastating effects of the war, Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) has received significant funding from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). As idw-online.de reports, the funding amounts to almost 800,000 euros over four years and is part of the “Ukraine in Europe” network. This network has set itself the goal of actively supporting Ukrainian universities that find themselves in a precarious situation.

The network is coordinated by the Giessen Center for Eastern Europe (GiZo), which has extensive experience in working with Ukraine. Partner universities in Kyiv include the renowned National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA) and the National University Igor Sikorsky Polytechnic Institute (KPI). The project includes numerous measures that promise sustainable support for the Ukrainian higher education sector. This includes the development of common teaching content and a new English-language master's degree program in the field of cultural studies.

Funded projects and scholarships

So far, JLU has welcomed around 500 Ukrainian students and teachers since the start of the war, which underlines the university's commitment. A total of around three million euros has already been raised for various university projects to promote collaboration in research and teaching. In addition, the possibility of scholarships is created for students and doctoral candidates to support networking activities and on-site stays.

But the JLU is not the only institution that actively contributes to strengthening academic cooperation between Germany and Ukraine. The DAAD has launched its “German-Ukrainian University Network” program, which plays an important role in the reconstruction of the Ukrainian higher education system. DaaD.de highlights that the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is supporting this program with a total of 24 million euros until 2029.

Joint efforts for education in Ukraine

Overall, the number of university partnerships between Germany and Ukraine has increased to over 340 - proof of the tireless commitment of German universities. The initiative includes two main parts: on the one hand, the promotion of binary study programs, which can receive up to 800,000 euros per project, and on the other hand, the intensification of exchange in university administration and internationalization with around 400,000 euros per project. The aim is to establish and deepen cooperation between the two countries.

As DAAD President Prof. Dr. As Joybrato Mukherjee emphasizes, despite the armed conflict, academic life continues to take place, be it in the form of lectures, seminars or research projects - often from a distance or in air raid shelters. This demonstrates the tireless spirit of Ukrainian universities, which strive to maintain academic education even beyond these difficult times.

The future of the German-Ukrainian university network will be accompanied by a matchmaking event for universities on December 11th, as well as an information event on applications taking place on December 17th. Further information and registration for the events are required in order to create the basis for even closer academic collaboration. This shows that despite all the challenges, the will to cooperate remains strong and a sustainable exchange between the countries should be promoted, as kooperation-international.de states.