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Conference reports Supporting Ukrainian Researchers
Shortly after the outbreak of the war (the full-scale Russian attack on February 24, 2022), the European Commission set up a fellowship scheme (called MSCA4Ukraine) to provide support to displaced researchers from Ukraine.
Published on balticworlds.com on September 19, 2023
Russia’s senseless destruction and genocidal violence in Ukraine continues. With no end of the war in sight, governments and international actors should be prepared for a long-term commitment, which goes beyond immediate help and emergency support. This relates to academia as well. What we have seen, since early 2022, are several initiatives to support higher education and research at Ukrainian universities. Governments, international organizations, and research foundations have provided support, and universities all over Europe and North America have offered to be temporary hosts for scholars from Ukraine, to let them be able to continue their academic work.
On September 19, 2023, a webinar was organized by European University Association (EUA)[1] and Scholars at Risk (SAR) Europe[2]: ”Strengthening the Ukrainian Higher Education and Research Sector: The Role of Displaced Ukrainian Researchers”. The idea was to introduce parts of what the EU is currently doing in this area, and illustrating the initiative by having three researchers present themselves and their ongoing activities. Shortly after the outbreak of the war (the full-scale Russian attack on February 24, 2022), the European Commission set up a fellowship scheme (called MSCA4Ukraine) to provide support to displaced researchers from Ukraine. The idea is to enable them to continue their work, as well as maintaining connections to their home environments. One objective is to prevent a permanent brain drain in Ukraine; another objective is related to international cooperation.
The initiative is based on the existing Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fund for excellent research and innovation, which is basically an academic mobility program. With the help from SAR Europe and the Alexander von Humbold Foundation (and others), the MSCA was expanded to a designated program for displaced Ukrainian scholars, including PhD students: the MSCA 4 Ukraine.
After a brief introduction to the fellowship program by Dominik Kalweit (SAR Europe), the three scholars introduced themselves: Artem Nazarko (presently at the University of Bergen, Norway), Ohla Karaman (presently at the National Cancer Institute, Lithuania) and Oksana Chukovska (presently at the Deutsches Elektronen-Symchrotron, Germany). The event was chaired by Michael Gaebel (European University Association). The MSCA4Ukraine fellows talked about their individual experiences, and mentioned, for example, the importance of international networks.
Someday this war will end. Most of the Ukrainian scholars will return home, hopefully as more qualified researchers, and with personal experiences of universities all over Europe. No doubt will this leave a lasting impression on Ukrainian academia. Those who are here now will be important to the reconstruction of research and higher education in Ukraine. Equally important is that we (the present hosts) have been given excellent chances to form new future networks and collaborations that include our guests. We should not waste this opportunity.
Note: The whole webinar is available on YouTube here>>