Associations and networks
- The European University Association (EUA)
- International Association of Universities (IAU)
- The Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe (NISPAcee)
- International Network of Universities
The European University Association (EUA)
The European University Association (EUA) represents more than 870 universities and national rectors’ conferences in 49 European countries. EUA plays a crucial role in the Bologna Process and in influencing EU policies on higher education, research and innovation. Through continuous interaction with a range of other European and international organisations, EUA ensures that the independent voice of European universities is heard.
EUA provides unrivalled opportunities for members to share best practices by participating in projects, events and other mutual-learning activities involving a wide range of universities. The Association also provides members with unique opportunities to shape European policies and initiatives affecting higher education and research.
Universities in Europe and around the world are crucial to global sustainable development. Therefore, the Association supports the worldwide agenda for achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Universities contribute to the goals through research and education in a wide array of disciplines that can potentially contribute to a better future.
EUA supports its members in the achievement of the SDGs through advocacy and project work and serves as member of SDG Watch Europe. EUA also recognises the importance of the SDGs in its Strategic Plan.
International Association of Universities (IAU)
Founded in 1950, under the auspices of UNESCO, the International Association of Universities (IAU) is the leading global association of higher education institutions and organisations from around the world.
IAU is an independent, bilingual (English and French), non-governmental, membership organization. IAU membership is open to higher education institutions (HEIs) and organisations.
As a global forum for leaders of institutions and associations, IAU convenes and connects almost 600 Members from more than 130 countries to identify, reflect and act on common priorities. It acts as the global voice of higher education to a wide range of international and inter-governmental organizations, in particular to UNESCO. Members avail of a wide range of services on a priority basis, but these extend also to other HE stakeholders, such as organisations, institutions, higher education authorities, policy and decision-makers, specialists, administrators, teachers, researchers and students.
IAU is funded primarily through its membership fees and depends on these to effectively carry out its wide portfolio of activities encompassing its series of online webinars and thematic debates, events and conferences, publications, projects and other initiatives.
IAU is an official partner of UNESCO (Associate status) and has been given special consultative status by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
IAU was granted the participatory status with the Council of Europe.
Vision
As the global voice of higher education, IAU will be the most influential and representative global association of diverse higher education institutions and their organisations, advocating and advancing a dynamic leadership role for higher education in society. Articulating the fundamental values and principles that underpin education and the pursuit, dissemination and application of knowledge, the Association will lead and advocate the development of higher education policies and practices that respect diverse perspectives promote social responsibility and contribute to the development of a sustainable future. IAU will be a think tank and forum for the development of new approaches, the sharing of best practice and the undertaking of joint action, encouraging and facilitating innovation, mutual learning and cooperation among higher education institutions around the world.
Mission
To contribute to peace and human development by promoting and enhancing the power of higher education to transform lives, build capacity, connect diverse peoples, generate and disseminate new knowledge, create insights and find sustainable solutions to local and global challenges.
Values
IAU promotes core values among its members and the wider higher education community including:
- Academic freedom, institutional autonomy and social responsibility locally and globally
- Cooperation and solidarity based on mutuality of interests and shared benefits
- Tolerance of divergent opinions, freedom from political interference
- Equity in access and success in higher education and open access to knowledge
- Scientific integrity and ethical behaviour as cornerstones of conduct for all stakeholders in higher education
- Higher education and research in the public interest
- Quality in learning, research and outreach
The Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe (NISPAcee)
The Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe (NISPAcee) was established in 1994 and legally registered under the Slovak legislation as an international, nongovernmental, nonprofit organisation in October 1995 with the Headquarters located in Bratislava Slovakia.
The mission of NISPAcee is to promote and strengthen effective and democratic governance and modernisation of public administration and policy throughout the NISPAcee region.
Functions and Objectives
The major NISPAcee strategic issues in the present era are the following:
- NISPAcee is an academic association/community. Its first priority is to contribute to the improvement of teaching and research in the NISPAcee region in the field of public administration and public policy.
- NISPAcee provides forum for academicians sharing their results among themselves and with practitioners. The main venue for sharing the results and experiences are the annual conferences and the journal.
- NISPAcee – as an academic community – aspires to increase the cooperation with the training centres even by providing programmes and teaching materials for practitioners when it is needed and resources are available.
- NISPAcee supports democratic governance and public administration modernisation with practice-oriented research and the involvement of practitioners in its activities. The involvement of practitioners can, among other possibilities, take the form of membership and special activities for practitioners, e.g. thematic panels within the framework of the annual conference, training programmes, thematic workshops, consultancy projects etc.
Therefore, the major NISPAcee Functions and Objectives are:
- Facilitating training and education
- Fostering research
- Promotion of public administration and policy as distinct fields
NISPAcee Region
NISPAcee region covers 5 geographic areas:
- New EU member countries (Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia).
- Non-EU member countries in Eastern Europe (Belarus, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Turkey).
- Countries in the West Balkans (Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro).
- Countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan)
- Countries in the Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan).
Activities
- NISPAcee Conferences
- Working Groups
- NISPAcee Summer Schools
- Training Programmes
- Study tours
- Projects
- Awards
- Internships
- CEE Reports on PA Programmes
- Translations
- NISPAcee Publications
- NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration and Policy
- Other publications (no NISPAcee)
- European Accreditation
Offers and Opportunities
As an Institutional Member of NISPAcee (The membership agreement was signed in 2021), TSNUK obtains from NISPAcee the following benefits:
- Receive copies of all NISPAcee e-publications.
- Receive regularly NISPAcee e-Newsletters, circulars and Annual Reports.
- Has the right to use the NISPAcee membership logo on the member’s website.
- May apply for EAPAA Accreditation services.
- May participate in the NISPAcee Annual Conferences and other activities at a reduced rate.
- May participate in the NISPAcee General Assembly and vote on all relevant NISPAcee matters during the General Assembly meeting.
- May nominate candidates from own institution for the Steering Committee, elect members of the Steering Committee and confirm NISPAcee policies.
- May initiate new projects and activities under the NISPAcee umbrella and propose new activities of interest for the benefit of academics and practitioners e.g. high-level meetings, roundtables, workshops, trainings, study tours, applied research, policy papers, etc.
- May utilise the capacities of all other NISPAcee members (associate, governmental and individual) for advisory, consultancy services and joint activities and projects.
- May develop within NISPAcee a special community of academics and practitioners interested in innovations, experience sharing and learning from each other.
- May utilise the NISPAcee database service.
- May maintain and publish own institutional data on the NISPAcee web page.
- May publish and promote own news, events and publications on the NISPAcee web page, social networks and in the Newsletter.
- May publish in the NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration and Public Policy and other NISPAcee publications.
- May take the opportunity for Public Administration and Policy professionals in own institution to cooperate with NISPAcee as experts in various NISPAcee activities.
- May become an active part of the prominent international public administration and policy community.
NISPAcee Coordinator at TSNUK: Viktoriia Tkachenko, e-mail:
International Network of Universities
International Network of Universities (INU) is a global consortium comprised of higher education institutions that actively seek international partnerships and experiences, create innovative programming and delivery methods and embrace the internationalisation movement.
The INU activities focus on:
- Advancing internationalisation of member universities;
- Preparing students for lives and careers as global citizens;
- Engaging students and staff in international and virtual mobility programmes;
- Sharing experiences and best practices;
- Delivering joint teaching and degrees;
- Supporting international research collaborations.
Mission
The INU is a global platform where members work collaboratively to provide transformative experiences that continuously advance the global engagement of students, faculty and staff.
INU Members
INU network has 13 member universities:
- European University Viadrina, Germany
- De Montfort University, UK
- Hiroshima University, Japan
- James Madison University, USA
- Kingston University London, UK
- Malmo University, Sweden
- Osnabrück University, Germany
- Stellenbosch University, South Africa
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine
- Tecnológico de Antioquia, Colombia
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain
- Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Argentina
- Universitas Katolik Parahyangan, Indonesia
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv joined the INU in 2023.
INU coordinator from KNU: Arina Maliuha, e-mail:
Offers and Opportunities
Programme “Global Citizenship and Sustainable Futures: Learning for Change” from INU: see details at the link.
The Baltic University Programme
The Baltic University Programme (BUP) is an international university network bringing together over 120 universities across ten countries in the Baltic region and creating opportunities for academic collaboration between students and researchers. Students from participating universities can take part in international conferences, seminars, educational events, projects, and student initiatives dedicated to sustainable development and education for sustainable development. The BUP also provides opportunities for student representation and involvement in the work of the international university network.
The Baltic University Programme (BUP) was founded in 1991 on the initiative of Uppsala University (Sweden), which continues to serve as the coordinating secretariat.
In 2023, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv became a member university of the Baltic University Programme (BUP), joining an international academic network that promotes the development of education, science, and cooperation in the field of sustainable development.
In 2024, particular attention is being paid to building universities’ capacity for ‘green’ recovery. The programme’s activities are based on 10 thematic areas, including:
– Sustainable economy and circular business models;
– Climate change and energy security;
– Sustainable development of cities and communities;
– Protection of water resources and biodiversity;
– Democracy and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
BUP partner status opens up a wide range of opportunities for the university’s students, postgraduate students and lecturers.
participation in conferences, summer schools and international forums; access to open online courses and educational resources on sustainable development; the opportunity to influence the network’s development strategy and represent the interests of Ukrainian students at an international level.
For early-career researchers and PhD students
BUP opens up opportunities for professional development, international research collaboration, and academic mobility. Participants can take part in specialised training sessions and workshops led by leading European professors, receive grants for short-term research visits to partner universities, and present their research findings at an international level. A particular honour is the BUP PhD Award – an annual prize for the best PhD thesis in the field of sustainable development.
For teachers and researchers
BUP creates a space for international scientific collaboration, professional development, and the exchange of experience.
Participants gain access to thematic research networks that help them find partners for joint research and form international research consortia.
BUP also provides opportunities to present and publish research findings in academic journals and the programme’s proceedings, whilst participation in international conferences, seminars, and professional events enables participants to familiarise themselves with new approaches and innovative teaching methods.
How can you take advantage of BUP’s opportunities?
Current opportunities to take part in conferences, training courses, student events and other BUP initiatives are published on the programme’s official resources and on the website of the International Relations Office at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
In 2025, Mariia Chernyh, a teacher at the Department of Physiology and Anatomy of the National Scientific Center ‘Institute of Biology and Medicine’ at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, was awarded a BUP mobility grant for her project ‘Electrophysiological Biomarkers of Second Language Acquisition in Children with ASD and delayed language comprehension and expression: towards individualised learning strategies’. To find out more about the benefits offered by the BUP mobility grant, we invite you to read Mariia Chernyh’s mobility report and the results of her work.
BUP Student Conference 2026
One of the standout student opportunities within the BUP network was the BUP Student Conference 2026, which took place on 9–12 June 2026 in Lund, Sweden. The conference brought together 72 students from 40 universities within the BUP network to jointly seek answers to one of the key questions of sustainable development – how to reconcile people’s needs, environmental protection, and the responsible use of natural resources.
This year’s theme, ‘The Complex Equation: Climate, Land Use and Biodiversity – Understanding Conflicts, Designing Solutions’, focused on the interrelationship between climate change, land use, and biodiversity conservation. Lectures, presentations, role-plays, and teamwork helped participants not only to discuss global challenges but also to work together to find practical solutions. The programme also included an excursion to the Storkriket Biosphere Reserve.
Yeva Sychova: the student representative from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv at BUP
This conference was particularly significant for Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv thanks to Yeva Sychova (pictured on the left), a student at the University’s Faculty of Philosophy, who was elected BUP Student Representative for 2026–2027 following the Students’ Parliament elections.
Together with Elin Björninen (pictured on the right) from Södertörn University, Yeva will represent the student body on the BUP International Board, contributing to the work of the international university network and representing the students’ views in its activities.