UzhNU hosted a high-level meeting of representatives of the academic community of Austria and Ukraine
A significant event took place at Uzhhorod National University - a high-level meeting of representatives of educational and scientific institutions of Austria and Ukraine.
On Tuesday, 16 April, the leadership of the Embassy of the Republic of Austria in Ukraine, the Austrian Agency for Education and Internationalisation, the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research of the Republic of Austria, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine, and higher education institutions of Austria and Ukraine gathered at UzhNU to discuss the prospects for developing cooperation in education between Ukraine and Austria and to work on joint developments.
Jakob Kalice, Executive Director of the Austrian Agency for Education and Internationalisation (OeAD), said he was pleased to see so many colleagues, despite the long distance travelled by the guests: "It is a great honour for us to be present at this strategic event to discuss future cooperation between the two countries. Our agency organises many similar events. However, we have never had the experience of working in such conditions when we start a meeting with a minute of silence for the fallen heroes. Not only do we consider it our duty to support Ukraine, but we are also sincerely interested in cooperation at the academic level.
No one can predict exactly how long the war will last, but we understand that we must train specialists to rebuild Ukraine."
The Rector of UzhNU Volodymyr Smolanka welcomed his colleagues to the university: "Our country is now not only bravely repelling the enemy's attack, but is also undergoing a series of transformations to become a full-fledged part of the EU. I sincerely believe that this event will help us on this path and provide additional opportunities. Uzhhorod National University is one of the classical universities and holds a unique position in shaping the cultural heritage of the nation - it is home to 17,000 students, including 1,000 international students. UzhNU is fruitfully engaged in international activities and cooperates in various areas with almost 140 universities in 21 countries. I can assure you that you will feel safe and comfortable at our university. And our meeting will be the beginning of cooperation that will serve the younger generation."
Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Mykhailo Vynnytskyi joined the event: "Austria's image is very positive as a country that is our friend and ready to help us when needed. We would like to start new pages of cooperation, which will be bilateral and will be developed directly between universities. I sincerely hope that this meeting will have fruitful results, including joint internship projects, cooperation between universities, and double degree programmes."
The meeting was attended by Arad Benkö, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria to Ukraine, who shared that it is difficult to follow the media coverage of the difficult situation in Ukraine. "However, life goes on, and meetings like today are very important. The reconstruction has already begun and the cooperation of the academic community is extremely important, it is an investment in the future," said the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
"The event was initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research of the Republic of Austria and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. The meeting was held in the format of presentations and group work, during which specific proposals for tools that universities can use to finance their ideas will be developed," commented Myroslava Lendiel, Vice-Rector of UzhNU.
The topics covered by the working groups were: capacity development: governance and management of higher education; capacity development: developing learning and improving teaching to increase the attractiveness of Ukrainian HEIs; the role of HEIs in the reconstruction of Ukraine; and priorities for cooperation in the field of medicine. The next stage of cooperation is a meeting in Vienna.
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