Can Science Save Ukraine? European Universities and Ukraine’s Post-War Transformation

The aggressive war against Ukraine entailed a tragedy for millions of Ukrainians and the destruction of large parts of the country (including scientific and educational infrastructure in many cities). But it may also mark a turning point in the future development of the country. The coming reconstruction of Ukraine will have to engage most of the Western world, particularly the European Union, the membership of which is a strategic aim of the Ukrainian policy. Poland and other EU countries have provided Ukraine with immediate help during the worst weeks of military combat. It offered temporary shelter to numerous students, teachers, researchers, and other members of the Ukrainian academic community. Can the experience, trust, and partnership that emerged from this period be helpful in further, long-term processes of reconstructing post-war Ukraine? What may and should be the role of European universities and scientific institutions in assisting their Ukrainian counterparts in overcoming the legacy of the war and making their ties a driver of modernisation and Europeanisation of the Ukrainian economy, society, and administration? To what extent may comprehensive and close cooperation between the academic communities of Ukraine and the rest of Europe become a key to an accelerated transformation of the country toward a full-fledged EU member state?

Speakers invited to the panel:

1. Ryszard Koziołek, rector of the University of Silesia in Katowice, head of the academic consortium “Katowice- European City of Science 2024”
2. Ganna Tolstanova, Vice-Rector for Research at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
3. Iryna Yehorchenko, Senior Researcher, Institute of Mathematics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Initiative UAScience.reload
4. Patrycja Matusz – Vice rector of the University of Wroclaw
5. Oleksandr Berezko, President of Eurodoc, the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers, adjunct researcher, Lviv Polytechnic National University
6. Irena Dektyarova – higher education expert, Senior Researcher at the Polish Rectors Foundation, Rector’s Representative for cooperation with Ukrainian Universities at SGH Warsaw School of Economics

Institutions involved:

University of Silesia in Katowice
Polish Academy of Science