CIVICA for Ukraine: cooperation and achievements for European future of Ukraine
During Russian aggression in Ukraine, Ukrainian universities bravely continue to work despite numerous challenges they have to face, and play a substantial social, political, and economic role in counteracting the consequences of the war, planning restoration of the country and preparing it to the Euro-Atlantic integration. Support from international partners, especially European universities, in building the potential of Ukrainian universities is very important, valuable and necessary.
In 2023 SGH Warsaw School of Economics coordinated the cooperation of CIVICA alliance with five Ukrainian universities: Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University, Vasyl Stus Donetsk National University, Ukrainian Catholic University, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and Kyiv School of Economics as part of CIVICA for Ukraine project (CIVICA support for European Future of Ukraine), with the budget of PLN 900 thousand. The aim was to enable the Ukrainian society to integrate into the European area of higher education, to establish institutional and individual relations among SGH, CIVICA, and Ukrainian academic communities, especially in the fields of social sciences, management and public policy, European integration, as well as development of academic and social competencies of Ukrainian students and university staff.
The project covered tasks included both in CIVICA Erasmus+, and CIVICA For Ukraine, in which 117 Ukrainians participated (51 students and doctoral students, 66 academic and administrative employees):
CIVICA For Ukraine:
- Ukraine High Level Meeting, SGH 27-28 March 2023
- Ambassadors Forum on recovery and modernisation of Ukraine, SGH 8-9 May 2023
- 34 short visits of Ukrainian university staff to CIVICA universities, September - December 2023
CIVICA Erasmus+:
- FuturEU Observer Track w CIVICA FuturEU, Hertie School (Germany) 20-21 April 2023
- European Week, Sciences Po (France) 27-30.06.2023
- Inclusion Workshop, Bocconi University (Italy)14-16 November 2023
- Research Doctoral Conference, CEU (Austria) 15-17.11.2023
- Student Association Forum, SGH 23-25 November 2023
- Tour d’ Europe, CEU 30 November - 2 December 2023
A key event at SGH was a strategic meeting of Ukrainian and European CIVICA university leaders: CIVICA-Ukraine High Level Meeting. It was to gain insight into the situation and needs of Ukrainian universities and to deliberate on the perspectives of short- and long-term collaboration, also in the context of future Ukraine’s restoration after the war (the report Needs and challenges served as a basis for further support for Ukraine). European collaboration within CIVICA inspired Ukrainian universities to found the Ukrainian Universities Alliance.
CIVICA for Ukraine 2023 project produced five reports, dealing with: (1) needs and conditions of the functioning of Ukrainian universities, (2) conditions and prospects for Ukraine’s recovery, (3) list of best practices applied by CIVICA universities as a recapitulation of study visits, (4) list of student clubs of Ukrainian and CIVICA universities, (5) Observer track within the FuturEU initiative, as well as videos, speeches, essays, and presentations of students and scientists on CIVICA events, numerous publications on the media of SGH, CIVICA, and Ukrainian universities and on social media tagged #CIVICA4Ukraine.
In the next edition of CIVICA for Ukraine 2024 we will focus on enhancing the potential of Ukrainian universities referring to European standards in higher education, especially in international cooperation organisations, on developing and deepening knowledge on European integration and tightening academic cooperation. In 2024 students from Ukraine will participate in CIVICA European Week at the LSE, Honour Seminars at SGH, Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; Sweden), National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA; Romania) and CEU, or Summer Schools on the EU. Doctoral students will join events for young scientist at SGH. To support internationalization and skill development of international cooperation staff, SGH International Centre will organise ‘job shadowing’. Development of academic collaboration of SGH and CIVICA with Ukraine will be accompanied by research internships for Ukrainian university scientists, while European knowledge will be consolidated by a joint visit to Brussels in the autumn of 2024.
Under the programme “European Universities in solidarity with Ukraine” organised by Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), Polish universities, including SGH, carry out the mission of building a bridge to the European Union, European universities, and strengthen the position in various alliances, create framework and models for partnerships with Ukrainian universities, preparing the Ukrainian academic environment to fully legitimate EU membership.
DR IRYNA DEGTYAROVA, Rector’s Representative for Cooperation with Ukrainian Higher Education Institutions, SGH
