Twinning with the University of Edinburgh
A year of alliance: the KNU and the University of Edinburgh partnership
The Twinning partnership was initiated in response to the crisis in the field of higher education in Ukraine due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia. For more than a year, the initiative has been helping to strengthen international ties between Ukrainian and British HEIs.
May 2023 marked one year since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Edinburgh and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
The cooperation combined with the long-standing partnership between the cities of Kyiv and Edinburgh became the catalyst for a number of academic and cultural events, international projects, online meetings and personal visits.
Today, the cooperation between the universities focuses on solving current educational and scientific needs of the KNU and supporting innovations, while a long-term cooperation strategy for future is being developed.
Our cooperation
Cooperation between universities began with the online acquaintance of the academic community of the University of Edinburgh with our teachers. So, in June 2022, Mykola Kapitonenko, Candidate of Political Sciences (PhD), Associate Professor at the Institute of International Relations, gave an online lecture for students of the University of Edinburgh.
Next month, Lilia Miroshnychenko, Doctor of Philological Sciences (PhD), Professor at the Institute of Philology, joined the Una Europa One Health Summer School at the University of Edinburgh in an online format.
Thanks to the support of the University of Edinburgh, the KNU nominated 6 students to participate in the summer school.
KNU students at One Health Summer School
In August 2022, the University of Edinburgh hosted 50 undergraduate students at the Una Europa One Health Summer School including four students from the KNU. They took part in the two-week programme to work in international teams on innovative solutions to Global Health challenges. In relation to the programme, KNU students (4 were able to come to Edinburgh and 2 participated online) also requested an opportunity to speak to the whole group to share their experiences of the impact of war.
“We talked about food security issues in Ukraine and how the war has impacted the country’s grain supply. I feel this is a safe space to talk openly and coming here makes you realise that you are not isolated. This experience has given me and other Ukrainian students the confidence to tell our story,” KNU student Viktoriia Palahniuk shared her views.
Read more about the One Health Summer School, which took place in 2022: Students from Europe gather for pioneering summer school
Our united activities
In 2022, the interaction between our institutions gained momentum, developed and strengthened. Shared activity has included in-person and online seminars and labs, seed funding for research proposals, skills and resource development, and student and staff visitors to Edinburgh. Activities continue to evolve and look ahead, and are strengthened by funding of nearly £200k, from the Universities UK International grant scheme launched as part of the UK-Ukraine Twinning Initiative. In early 2023, the international offices of the two universities joined forces to make a joint application for a project competition from the UUK, which was approved in March 2023 and provided the opportunity to support research and educational projects of a number of faculties and institutes, to develop staff training, as well as to support KNU capacity to continue education and research in the difficult conditions of martial law.
Read more about the project: Grant supports Edinburgh-KNU partnership
This mutually beneficial partnership has created impactful connections in our combined communities and implemented some interesting and truly meaningful projects.
Cultural celebration and partnership review
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the universities took place on May 19, 2022 when Ukrainians celebrated Vyshyvanka Day. Making the best of this opportunity, a presentation film prepared by KNU teachers about the traditions of embroidery production in Ukraine was shown as part of the event dedicated to the signing of the Memorandum. The guests of the event were able to get acquainted with this wonderful tradition and craft, which is celebrated annually in May on Vyshyvanka Day.
Therefore, it is symbolic that on May 18, 2023, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation Kseniia Smyrnova visited the University of Edinburgh to mark the year of partnership, as well as to discuss plans for future initiatives and strengthening cooperation. As a sign of respect for our culture, a special cultural event was held within the walls of one of the oldest universities in Great Britain, where a display of Ukrainian traditional clothing took place to the sounds of Ukrainian songs.
Collaboration in chemistry: visiting students
As part of cooperation between the universities and with the support of a joint project Environmental Sustainability Lab’, five students from KNU spent 3 months in Edinburgh to complete research for their Masters theses in Chemistry. Students Kateryna Dzhyhirei, Marharyta Voitenko, Maryna Korobeinyk, Nadiia Hriadchenko and Sofiia Zhadanova had the opportunity to develop practical skill in the new labs at the University of Edinburgh.
Read more about the unforgettable experience of Ukrainian students and the future impact of the trip to Edinburgh on the course of research and development of science in Ukraine: Rebuilding a war-torn country: meet the future of Ukraine.
Urban Regeneration: Impacts of War Lab
The idea for collaboration in Urban Regeneration emerged in Kyiv, where Ukrainians face the prospect of their cities and towns after war. Guiding the ‘Impacts of War Lab’ are Dr Kostyantyn Mezentsev (KNU) and Professor Soledad Garcia Ferrari (Edinburgh), which looks to limit damage, achieve justice and aid reconstruction. The first online workshop in March 2023 discussed ‘Post-war/conflict urban regeneration’ and exchanged experiences and ideas between students and staff from both universities.
“I thought it was so inspirational – maybe because we had such a great group of young people, thinking about the future. What has taken place so far is only the beginning,” Professor Soledad Garcia Ferrari said.
Read more about the Urban Regeneration: Impacts of War lab collaboration.
The first online workshop, which took place over three days from 22-24 March, discussed ‘Post-war and conflict urban regeneration’ and exchanged experiences and ideas between students and staff from both universities. The workshop involved students from the MSc Urban Studies and Regional Development of the KNU Faculty of Geography and students from the BSc Urban Studies and Planning and MSc Urban Strategies and Design of the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. At the workshop students presented the results of joint mini projects on post-war regeneration of Ukrainian cities. During the round table, supervisors, tutors and students discussed the results of the selected case studies, expressed their views on key challenges, actors and drivers of the post-war urban regeneration and outlined further steps for joint urbanistic research by colleagues from Kyiv and Edinburgh.
Mutual development: Literatures and Cultures in the Face of War
The ‘Literatures and Cultures in the Face of War Lab’ focuses on guest lectures, joint seminars, and research mobility, sharing Ukrainian and Scottish culture This collaboration between Edinburgh and KNU is led by Dr Emmanuelle Lacore-Martin, Senior Lecturer in French and Francophone Studies, Deputy Head of the Department of European Languages and Cultures (DELC), UoE and Professor Lilia Miroshnychenko, Head of the Department of Foreign Literature and the Institute of Philology, KNU.
“I think everybody has commented on that it’s certainly not one sided at all. It’s very much a partnership of equals despite the inequalities,” Dr Emmanuelle Lacore-Martin said.
Read more about the Literatures and Cultures in the Face of War: KNU and Edinburgh cooperation
Collaboration in Law
In October 2022, the Edinburgh Law School hosted a hybrid masterclass (jointly with the School of Social and Political Science) entitled ‘EU diplomacy in practice’. The lecture was delivered by William Hanna (former EU ambassador and Edinburgh University alumnus) and saw the online participation of KNU staff and students. Led by Dr Leandro Mancano (Edinburgh) and Professors Kseniia Smirnova and Yevgen Gerasymenko (KNU), a visiting research scheme will be rolled out between June and August, which will fund the visit of three members of the KNU academic staff to come to Edinburgh and interact with colleagues at the Law School. Further developments are being explored, including a series of joint online seminars and remotely delivered lectures.
Academic writing for researchers
The Institute for Academic Development (IAD) is collaborating with the Department of Publishing and Editing at KNU to focus on academic writing skills. This has so far resulted in sharing resources and the next steps will focus on hosting joint online workshops on writing and publishing as part of a KNU researcher week. The overall aim is to take a shared approach to identify and deliver new ways to offer support at both institutions and to strengthen the support for academic writing and publishing at KNU.
Read more about the IAD offers on development opportunities for researchers at all career stages: Institute for Academic Development – opportunities
Participation in the NICE project
In 2023, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv implemented the NICE (Network for Intercultural Competence to facilitate Entrepreneurship) virtual exchange programme for the first time. This unique experience was made possible thanks to the cooperation of the KNU and the University of Edinburgh.
For five months, 30 KNU students selected by a special commission on a competitive basis from among 60 applications were able to participate in the programme, which combines innovative learning methods, teamwork and values of sustainable development in the field of entrepreneurship.
Online modules were the first stage of the NICE programme lasting from March 15 to June 30, 2023. KNU students actively collaborated with students from the University of Edinburgh, University of Amsterdam, University of Padua and University College Dublin. Through joint efforts, young people developed team innovative business ideas aimed at overcoming the problems of the globalised world and achieving the UN sustainable development goals.
The second stage was the summer school at the University of Padua from July 2 to 9, 2023. The 15 most active students, who showed the best results during online modules, represented the University abroad. The summer school programme covered the issues of intercultural cooperation and social entrepreneurship with the aim of improving the global situation in the world, as well as solving the problems of sustainable development in communities.
Students not only participated in interactive classes and trainings on the development of entrepreneurial skills, but also developed and presented their unique projects. With the support of the University, Ukrainian youth once again managed to demonstrate their competence and talent at the international level.
One year on
One year on from the partnership’s beginnings, the breadth and depth of developments make it very clear: this alliance matters. The value of solidarity, when facing the impact of war, has propelled the efforts of the staff teams and student communities from both institutions. We continue to collaborate, for our people, for our institutions, and for our nations. It’s far more to come.