From the very beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Polish academic and scientific community clearly defined its position and willingness to help and support the Ukrainian nation.

The last year’s conference Solidarity with Ukraine. Students, scientists, institutions organized by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange along with the University of Gdansk turned out to be a success - both in terms of attendance and content. The discussions among the representatives of the academic community concluded the conference in Gdansk not only with the implemented activities but also ideas and predictions for the future.

The war in Ukraine continues and the form of support is constantly changing. At the end of last year, the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange announced the second edition of the Solidarity with Ukraine - European Universities program under which Polish universities associated with the alliances of European Universities received a total of approximately PLN 16 million to support cooperation with Ukrainian universities at the transnational level. Not only government agencies and academic centers, but also local governments are involved in supporting refugees from Ukraine. This phenomenon is not only distinctive for Poland. Students, PhD students, scientists, professors and experts are working on a vision of the future of a free, independent Ukraine.

Once again there is a need to assemble together to share experiences and ideas so we can start working on a strategy for rebuilding post-war Ukraine.

Purpose of the conference

The Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange, together with the University of Gdansk, is organizing a conference for the second time devoted to supporting Ukraine in the context of the military aggression of the Russian Federation.

This time, the participants of the conference will reflect on the actions taken so far for the benefit of the Ukrainian academic community. The aim of the discussions is to develop a common vision of rebuilding Ukraine from the ravages of war, a strategy for the reconstruction of academic centers and prospects for further development. 

The unique character of the meeting will be ensured by guests from abroad who will enrich the event with a broad international context.

The main question around which the subject of the meeting will focus is: How to include Ukrainian higher education in the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area? Poland has a key role to play in this process by creating a natural bridge between the East and the West for Ukraine. The organizers of Focus on Ukraine are convinced that due to this event, this unique opportunity will be successfully implemented.

The topics of speeches and discussion panels will concern:

• support for refugees from Ukraine in 2022,
• the future of student and scientific mobility in the context of war,
• recognition of refugees' education,
• NAWA programme Solidarity with Ukraine – European Universities,
• academic cooperation during and after the war,
• digitization of teaching processes and the role of new technologies in the reconstruction of post-war Ukraine,
• local government and academic initiatives,
• the future of scientific cooperation with Ukraine.

The conference will be attended by:

Tomasz Rzymkowski, Secretary of State, Government Plenipotentiary for the Development and Internationalisation of Education and Science 

Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine

 and representatives of:

• agencies responsible for the development of higher education in Estonia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Lithuania;
• the European Commission;
• the Council of Europe;
• the World Bank;
• the US, UK and Ukrainian Embassies
• Ministries responsible for digitization
• local governments;
• Polish National Science Centre;
• Polish National Center for Research and Development;
• Polish Academy of Sciences;
• National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine;
• student and scientific organizations;
• Rectors of universities and vice-rectors for international cooperation.

The conference will be held in the Theater Room of the Modern Languages Building of the Faculty of Philology at the University of Gdańsk on April 3-4, 2023.  

Conference organizers:

Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange and the University of Gdańsk

Registration form:

nawa.gov.pl/en/focus-on-ukraine/registration-for-the-conference