Grateful for the funding of DniPRONrw (from left): Dr. Iryna Kompanets (RUB), Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Sonne (TU Dortmund), Elena Resch (Liaison Office UA Ruhr OEZA), Prof. Dr. Barbara Welzel (TU Dortmund), Prof. Dr. Matthias Epple (UDE), Prof. Dr. Kornelia Freitag (RUB), Reena James (RUB) and Prof. Dr. Björn Rothstein (RUB).
Ukraine Support for universities in Ukraine
The University Alliance Ruhr's DniPRONrw project will receive 100,000 euros in funding from the NRW Ministry of Culture and Science from 2025.
The Dnipropetrovsk Oblast lies around 400 kilometers south-east of the capital Kyiv. Like the whole of Ukraine, NRW's Ukrainian partner region has been struggling with the effects of the Russian war of aggression for 1000 days. A group of the University Alliance Ruhr, led by Prof. Dr. Björn Rothstein from Ruhr University Bochum and Elena Resch from the UA Ruhr Liaison Office for Eastern Europe/Central Asia, applied to the Ministry of Culture and Science for funding for the “DniPRONrw” project to support the universities in the partner region and their teaching staff.
On November 18, NRW Minister Ina Brandes announced at the Ukraine Conference that the project would be funded with around 100,000 euros from 2025. “North Rhine-Westphalia stands by Ukraine! [...] Under the leadership of Ruhr University Bochum, the University Alliance Ruhr has developed a platform through which academics and students in Ukraine can access teaching content and materials. In this way, we are improving the everyday life of universities and research institutions in a very practical way,” says Brandes.
A contribution to reconstruction
“Universities play a central role in the reconstruction and development of Ukraine. Together with our partners in the University Alliance Ruhr, we want to make a future-oriented and sustainable contribution to maintaining and expanding Ukraine's academic potential and actively support the reconstruction of the academic system,” says the Vice-Rector for Teaching and Studies, Prof. Dr. Kornelia Freitag.
With DniPRONrw, the University Alliance Ruhr wants to make a specific contribution to rebuilding teaching programs and structures at universities in the Dnipro region. “We will provide training and teaching opportunities to close the gaps left by the loss of staff due to the war and thus support the teaching staff at Ukrainian universities,” says Prof. Dr. Björn Rothstein from the Institute of German Studies at Ruhr University.
The DniPRONrw project
In the DniPRONrw project, Ukrainian lecturers are given access to digitally available courses from the participating UA Ruhr partner universities; their students can have courses from the UA Ruhr credited to their studies as digital guest students. Together with the Ukrainian partners, the aim is to discuss how AI and freeware can be used to support teaching. The exchange of digital courses within the participating Ukrainian universities will also be promoted.
Drawing on existing networks
The fact that the UA Ruhr already has proven expertise and experience in academic cooperation with Eastern Europe, especially Ukraine, will benefit the project. “DniPRONrw can draw on established German-Ukrainian networks - such as the Donetsk-Vinnitsa-Essen-Bochum partnership, the cooperation projects Intercultural German Learning and Teaching or Ukraine-Peer (up!), teacher training through digi-Fellowships or cooperation with the Ukrainian German Teachers' and Germanists' Association,” says Elena Resch, Head of the Liaison Office Eastern Europe/Central Asia. The funding of the DniPRONrw project can thus be interpreted not only as an incentive not to let up in our support for Ukraine, but also as a recognition of the exemplary commitment of Ruhr University and its UA Ruhr partners in this matter.