June 20-23, 2023

Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University 

As part of the British-Ukrainian joint program, on June 20-23, 2023, professors from Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University and their colleagues from Queen's University Belfast held a series of joint seminars and workshops. Ukrainian scholars and representatives of the host university presented their vision and constructively discussed a range of topics related to the war in Ukraine, its impact on social processes within the country and international relations. The major topics were the war, its impact on the implementation and content of higher education, losses, migration, and ways to develop British-Ukrainian scientific cooperation.

The first working day in Belfast began with introducing to Irish colleagues Grinchenko University, its mission and strategy for future development, especially in the context of the development of international educational and scientific cooperation. The First Vice-Rector of the University, Liliia Hrynevych, and the Head of SRL for Internationalization of Higher Education, Olha Vyhovska, presented the University as a progressive center for the development of the capital's higher education and science. Much attention was also paid to the painful topic of losses in the educational sector of Ukraine and the displacement of educational institutions and educators due to the war. The topic is historically close and familiar to Irish colleagues who extensively research issues of conflict, war and peace, so it attracted a large audience both in the conference room and online. In particular, speaking online before a large international audience and highlighting the problems and threats of today for Ukraine and the world, Vice-Rector for International Affairs Volodymyr Ogryzko sparked a long and lively discussion of the aspects covered by him in a question-and-answer format.

The following days were devoted to discussing the problems, rights and prospects for IDPs and refugees, their social integration, the work of NGOs, volunteer activities in Ukraine and the challenges of urban development, which were presented in detail by professors of Grinchenko University O. Aleksandrova, T. Kostiuk, V. Puhach. The workshops proved to be a good combination of Ukrainian aspirations and intentions along with Irish experience and were useful for both sides. These workshops have made a great contribution to the development of academic relations between the two countries, the expansion of the partnership between Queen's University Belfast and Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University and identified further steps for academic cooperation and research between the universities.

Materials provided by НДЛ інтернаціоналізації вищої освіти (SRL of Internationalization of Higher Education)