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Air strikes on university buildings, electricity cuts and the loss of students and staff members are some of the challenges that Ukrainian universities are facing today. Last week, a delegation from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University and Odesa I.I.Mechnikov National University visited UZH to discuss collaboration options in research and teaching.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, UZH has supported war-affected students and researchers with various measures. For example, since March 2022, more than 200 war-affected students have participated in the guest study program at UZH. Furthermore, UZH has hosted eight Ukrainian researchers as part of the “Scholars at Risk” program. “Scholars at Risk” is an international network of universities working to safeguard academic freedom and protect threatened researchers. In Switzerland, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) offers financial support for placements of scholars under threat at Swiss universities.
In August 2023, the newly appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to Switzerland, Her Excellency Iryna Venediktova, and President Michael Schaepman discussed further options to support Ukrainian universities. As a result, UZH welcomed her again last week, together with an Ukrainian academic delegation of executives of the Odesa I.I.Mechnikov National University, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. UZH Executive Board members, researchers and administrative representatives wanted to understand the concrete challenges of Ukrainian universities better in order to establish further collaborative projects.
According to the Ukrainian representatives, being able to provide safety to their students and staff currently is one of their biggest challenges. Depending on their location in Ukraine, the universities are trying to mitigate the impacts of the war by offering online or hybrid teaching and learning, shelters within the university campus or even hubs for on-site education in other parts of the country. The numbers of students are shrinking drastically not just due to the many deaths and injuries of local students, but also due to the almost complete absence of foreign students. Severe war damages on their university premises pose additional challenges. The universities suffer from instable and unpredictable energy supply, electricity cuts and blackouts. Mines, radiation and toxic contamination of land and water are triggering the urgent need for new technologies from Ukrainian researchers.
Despite these circumstances, the university representatives are trying to focus on a vision of their future, outlining the important role the higher education sector plays in times of war. V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University sees it as their mission is to actively participate in post-war restoration, for example through re-education of veterans and alignment of their research focus on current needs. Under the slogan “education despite the war”, the university is organizing offline and online events for the local city residents. Prof. Volodymyr Bugrov, Rector of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, sees the crisis as a window for opportunities, since the problems Ukrainians are currently facing ultimately reflect global challenges.
Together with Prof. Beatrice Beck Schimmer, UZH Vice President Medicine, Prof. Johannes Loffing, Vice Dean of Preclinical Studies at the Faculty of Medicine and Thomas Huggler, Managing Director at the University Hospital Balgrist, the Ukrainian delegation members discussed hospital management after the war. Specifically, the Ukrainian representatives are considering Zurich’s extensive university hospital network as a potential model for post-war reconstruction of their own health sector.
Dr. Naser Morina, Senior Researcher and Co-Head of Outpatient Clinic for Victims of Torture and War at the University Hospital Zurich, explained that soldiers and civilians in post-war settings have a high risk of developing trauma-induced symptoms, including acute stress, PTSD, major depression and anxiety. Without treatment, 25% of war-affected individuals develop a mental disorder (WHO & WEF, 2024). With only one specialized mental health worker being available for 10’000 civilians in Ukraine, scalable psychological interventions are required. Together with international partners, Morina is currently working on implementing such interventions in Ukraine.
The exchange between UZH and the three Ukrainian universities underlined the importance of collaboration between higher education institutions around the world, especially in the context of war. The participants made concrete plans for joint projects in research and teaching. For example, the visiting Ukrainian universities and Dr. Naser Morina will assess ways of collaboration so they can facilitate the implementation of psychological interventions in Ukraine together. Moreover, UZH is exploring options to expand its offer of Ukrainian Studies, possibly in collaboration with other universities. Finally, UZH and the Ukrainian universities will evaluate the signing of an exchange agreement to foster student mobility.
Chantal Marquart and Viviane Gao
