idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
The five-day event “ConnectED. From Collaboration to Impact” reached its culmination with a high-level networking day at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE). Held as part of the DAAD-funded ConnectED project, the event brought together representatives of Ukrainian partner universities, the Ukrainian Embassy, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and other institutions to further strengthen German–Ukrainian cooperation in the fields of environmental and nature conservation.
The networking day began with a minute of silence, modelled on the daily remembrance held nationwide in Ukraine at 9 a.m. to commemorate Ukrainians killed as a result of Russia’s war of aggression. This shared moment of reflection set the tone for an intensive professional and personal exchange.
The event was officially opened by HNEE President Prof. Dr Matthias Barth, who emphasised the importance of international university partnerships in times of war. For him, academic cooperation today represents more than ever spaces of solidarity, continuity of study and joint future-building. HNEE has been working with Ukrainian partner universities for over 20 years and sees great potential in the ConnectED network to deepen existing collaborations and establish new partnerships.
A particular highlight was the address by Nataliia Chernopashchenko, Counsellor at the Embassy of Ukraine in Germany. She gave a powerful account of the current conditions under which teaching, research and study are taking place in Ukraine, making clear the strength, perseverance and resilience currently required of academic communities. Her remarks underlined the vital importance of reliable international partnerships.
From the DAAD’s perspective, Kai Franke, Head of the DAAD Capital Office in Berlin, stressed the strategic relevance of German–Ukrainian university cooperation. Projects such as ConnectED make an important contribution to scientific resilience, continuity of study and the long-term reconstruction of Ukrainian higher education institutions.
As part of poster presentations, the participating projects and partner universities showcased their work – ranging from digital teaching formats and forestry research to sustainability transformation and internationalisation. The programme was complemented by a retrospective on more than two decades of cooperation, as well as discussions on the network’s future strategic priorities.
Dr Yuliia Nikitchenko, Project Manager of ConnectED, outlined the next steps for the network, including joint teaching activities, the expansion of mobility formats and perspectives for joint and dual degree programmes. Subsequent sessions focused both on current challenges facing the Ukrainian higher education landscape and on broader issues such as European integration, digitalisation and security.
The networking day made one thing clear: ConnectED is more than a project. The network is creating robust structures for long-term knowledge exchange, joint research and teaching, and sustainable support for Ukrainian universities – academically, institutionally and on a human level.
Prof. Dr. Jan-Peter Mund
+49 3334 657-189
Jan-peter.mund@hnee.de
Criteria of this press release:
Journalists
interdisciplinary
transregional, national
Cooperation agreements, Transfer of Science or Research
English
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