Berlin, 27./28. September 2023. The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) recently held a Ukraine Conference in Berlin, inviting all teams from projects funded by DAAD aimed at fostering collaboration between Ukrainian and German universities. Representing our team were Anna, Tetiana, and Kai, who eagerly participated in discussions under the conference theme, “Education in Times of Conflict: German-Ukrainian Higher Education Collaborations between Emergency Aid and Shaping the Future.”
(Photo: Kai Carstensen)
On the first day, the conference featured project presentations and a panel discussion, not only reflecting on achievements but also delving into the future prospects of German-Ukrainian cooperation. We learned that many partnerships have been formed, which now require a well-planned framework for sustained development, ideally extending beyond a one-year horizon. We can say that this also holds for our project and hope this message resonated with the policymakers in attendance.
The second day of the conference took the form of smaller workshops, focusing on learning from past project experiences, identifying areas for improvement, and charting a path forward. In a concluding presentation and discussion of the outcomes, all participants – both Ukrainians and Germans – unanimously agreed that it will take joint efforts to integrate the Ukrainian higher education system into the European academic landscape. Yet, the many successful projects demonstrated that when all parties are genuinely committed (and are willing to interpret outdated laws and regulations flexibly), a lot of progress can be made.
Our overall impression: Ukrainian universities are on the right track, and German-Ukrainian higher education collaboration has gotten off to an excellent start. Now, it requires political support from both sides to sustain this momentum and both institutionalize and expand these collaborations across the entire spectrum of higher education insitutions in our two countries.
(Photo: Kai Carstensen)
