Rektor Martin Paul unterzeichnet die Kooperationsvereinbarung für die RUB. © RUB, Marquard

Cooperation Partnership with University of Kyiv

In the midst of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, RUB is setting an example: For the first time, it has welcomed a Ukrainian university into its tight-knit partnership network.

For the first time in its almost 60-year history, RUB has formed a university-wide partnership with a university from Ukraine. Rector Professor Martin Paul signed the cooperation agreement with the Rector of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (TSNU), Professor Volodymyr Bugrov, via video conference on August 1, 2022.

The appropriate setting for the signing of the agreement was made possible by the first Summer School of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) with 30 students from five Ukrainian universities, including TSNU. "I am happy and proud that we have succeeded in organizing this first UA Ruhr Summer School for students from Ukraine," said Rector Paul. The nine-day stay of the students and their supervisors is organized by the International Office of RUB and the Liaison Office Eastern Europe/Central Asia of UA Ruhr under the leadership of Elena Resch.

Mitte Juli 2022 hat Rektor Paul seinem Kollegen von der Universität Kiew, Volodymyr Bugrov (rechts), zwei Defibrillatoren überreicht.

Rector Martin Paul presented two defibrillators to his colleague from the University of Kiev, Volodymyr Bugrov (right), in mid-July 2022.

Partner zu Gast an der RUB: Volodymyr Bugrov und Kseniia Smyrnova mit Prorektorin Kornelia Freitag und Martin Paul (von rechts)

Partners as guests at RUB: Volodymyr Bugrov and Kseniia Smyrnova with Vice Rector Kornelia Freitag and Martin Paul (from right).

Gruppenbild auf dem Campus der RUB: die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer der Summer School für ukrainische Studierende

Group picture on RUB campus: the participants of the Summer School for Ukrainian students

Auftakt mit Videokonferenz: Im Beckmanns Hof ist die Kooperation mit der Universität Kiew besiegelt worden.

Kick-off with video conference: The cooperation with the University of Kiev was sealed in Beckmanns Hof.

Stolz zeigt der Rektor den unterschriebenen Vertrag in die Kamera. Links neben ihm: Elena Resch, Organisatorin der Summer School

Rector Paul proudly shows the signed contract to the camera. To his left: Elena Resch, organiser of the Summer School.

Monika Sprung (Mitte), Leiterin des International Office der RUB, begrüßt die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer in Bochum.

Monika Sprung (centre), head of RUB's International Office, welcomes the participants to Bochum.

Im Hörsaal heißt Prof. Dr. Björn Rothstein (Germanistische Sprachdidaktik) die Gäste an der RUB willkommen.

In the lecture hall, Professor Björn Rothstein (German Language Didactics) welcomes the guests. The diverse programme has a focus on German studies/German as a foreign language.

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The partnership with TSNU is a university-wide cooperation, meaning that it is not limited to certain faculties. With a joint interdisciplinary teaching project and a targeted aid effort, the new friendship is already taking shape through various action steps

Direct help with defibrillators

In mid-July, Rector Martin Paul presented TSNU's Rector and Vice-Rector for International Affairs, Professor Kseniia Smyrnova, with two new defibrillators worth several thousand euros. For this, the Ukrainian delegation made an extra detour to Bochum – on its way from Leiden University in the Netherlands to the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, in order to personally receive the devices, which were still in their original packaging. "The defibrillators are urgently needed in Ukraine, so we can provide concrete help," said Professor. Kornelia Freitag, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs. "I'm particularly pleased that our administration has made it possible for us to help here in an unbureaucratic, quick, and targeted way, without unnecessary administrative hassle."

Digital laboratory practice for Ukrainian students

To enable Ukrainian students of natural science subjects to continue their studies, teachers and students from the RUB and TSNU are developing variants of laboratory practice on a project. The project Digital Laboratories for Students at risk - DigiLabStar - is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service with about 143,000 euros and runs until the end of 2022. For more information, see this detailed report on the project launch (German website).

Varied Program

The UA Ruhr Summer School will take place until August 8 at UA Ruhr campuses in Bochum, Dortmund, and Essen. The extensive program includes campus tours, workshops, seminars, discussions with the rectorates and individual faculties, as well as visits to the Museum Folkwang, Planetarium Bochum, Zeche Zollverein, and individual cities in the region and the Rhineland. "With our offer we strive to strengthen existing cooperation with Ukrainian universities and to initiate new ones according to possibility and need", says Elena Resch. "Another important goal is to give Ukrainian students the opportunity – especially in these difficult times – to come to the Ruhr region and get to know our universities."

The following Ukrainian universities are participating in the summer school:

TSNU
Mariupol State University
Pedagogical Krywyj Rih National University
Donezk National Wassyl-Stus-University in Winnyzja
Ivan Franko National University of Lviv