Santiago Soares aus Brasilien, Sofia Kostiukovska aus der Ukraine und Miles Lunger aus den USA (von links) sind drei junge Menschen, die stellvertretend für die vielen Studienbrücklerinnen und -brückler aus alller Welt stehen.

Santiago Soares from Brazil, Sofia Kostiukovska from Ukraine and Miles Lunger from the USA (from left to right) are three young people who represent the many Study Bridge students from all over the world.

Prof. Dr. Martin Paul, Rektor der RUB, begrüßt die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer an der RUB.

“Today, it’s obvious that it was the right decision to let the programme continue,” says RUB Rector Professor Martin Paul. While cooperation with Russian state institutions is suspended, study preparation programmes do continue.

Elena Resch (links), Koordinatorin des Programms in der Universitätsallianz Ruhr, und Vita Tymchenko, Projektleiterin Studienbrücke beim Goethe-Institut, begrüßen die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer des ersten Alumni-Treffens an der RUB.

Elena Resch (on the left), coordinator of the Study Bridge programme at the University Alliance Ruhr, and Vita Tymchenko, project manager Study Bridge at the Goethe-Institut, welcome the participants of the first alumni meeting at RUB.

Dr. Christoph Veldhues, Abteilungsleiter Sprache des Goethe-Instituts, hält ein Grußwort.

Christoph Veldhues is director of language programmes at Goethe-Institut. In its capacity as a pilot university, RUB developed and established the programme together with the Goethe-Institut of Eastern Europe/Central Asia.

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First Alumni Meeting Crossing of Study Bridge accomplished

The Study Bridge programme has been building a “study bridge” to Eastern Europe for eight years. RUB facilitated the first reunion of Study Bridge alumni in difficult times.

Approx. 80 alumni of the international Study Bridge programme met at RUB on 7 September 2022 for a networking opportunity and reunion. Through the programme, highly dedicated and qualified young people from Eastern Europe, namely Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, and other regions of the world study at German partner universities. Demand is high and the programme continues unabated.

Today, it’s obvious that it was the right decision to let the programme continue.

—
Martin Paul

Since the start of Russia’s offensive war on Ukraine in February 2022, active relations with Russian state institutions have been put on hold. However, this doesn’t apply to study preparation programmes that provide a path to study at German universities. One of the most successful programmes of this kind is Study Bridge. “Today, it’s obvious that it was the right decision to let the programme continue,” says a pleased Professor Martin Paul, RUB Rector. “This is reflected in the enthusiastic response and the demand from all over Eastern Europe. Study Bridge stands for community spirit, for support and solidarity. It is especially the students from Russia and Ukraine who come to us who stick together in these difficult times and interact with the students from other Study Bridge target countries.”

Study Bridge is a programme specifically designed to promote individual mobility. Funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Goethe-Institut, it takes international students with excellent German language skills to partner universities. The students finance their stay out of their own pocket – without the involvement of any institutions from Russia or other Eastern European countries. So far, a total of 51 Ukrainian and 121 Russian students as well as 32 students from other countries have used this programme to train in the so-called STEM disciplines. At RUB, there have been a total of 204 Study Bridge students since the programme was launched.

RUB was pilot university

As one of the founding members of Study Bridge in 2014/2015, RUB was also the pilot university at the time. The university developed and established the programme together with the Goethe-Institut in Eastern Europe/Central Asia. Following popular demand, the programme was taken over by the Goethe-Institut’s head office in Munich in 2017 and expanded to many other regions around the world. After the Liaison Office Eastern Europe/Central Asia of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) took over the coordination, it was also extended to the two neighbouring universities of UA Ruhr, TU Dortmund University and the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Reasons for continuing the programme

When it comes to its response to the war in Ukraine, RUB consults with central players involved in international academic cooperation: these include, for example, the DAAD, the German Research Foundation, the European Union, the Federal Government and, of course, the NRW Ministry of Science. It’s particularly important to distinguish between institutional cooperation and individual funding. RUB is currently putting its partnerships and collaborations, which are usually institutional in nature, on hold. This also applies to the activities of the Liaison Office of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) in Moscow (see info box below). However, individual mobilities, even within projects, are still possible and currently still eligible for funding – for example, through DAAD funds.

Links

Solidarity in difficult times (News, 15 March 2022)