On behalf of the University Alliance Ruhr, the university leadership teams – left: Manfred Bayer (Dortmund), centre: Martin Paul (Bochum), right: Barbara Albert (Duisburg-Essen) – signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Oleksandr Zaichuk, Vice-Rector of the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies (second from left), and Serhij Okovytyy, Rector of the Oles Honchar Dnipro National University.
Staged reading: Students perform a short piece in the Senate Hall of Ruhr University Bochum to mark the start of the summer school. A total of more than 50 students from Ukraine and Germany took part in the summer school.
Elena Resch, Head of the Liaison Office for Eastern Europe/Central Asia of the University Alliance Ruhr, and Björn Rothstein from the German Studies Institute at Ruhr University Bochum successfully applied for funding for the DniPRONrw project from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2024.
Memorandum of Understanding
Ukrainian and German Universities Agree on Cooperation
The University Alliance Ruhr has signed a cooperation agreement with two Ukrainian universities. With this move, the three universities in the Ruhr region are sending a clear signal of solidarity.
The three universities in the Ruhr region are strengthening their collaboration with universities in Ukraine. On 7 July 2025, the University Alliance Ruhr signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Oles Honchar State University and the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies. The cooperation is part of the ‘DniPRONrw’ project, which the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia is supporting this year with funding of 100,000 euros.
The signing of the agreement took place during the opening ceremony of a Ukrainian-German summer school in the Ruhr region, which was attended by over 50 participants from Ukraine and Germany. They were welcomed by North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister of Science, Ina Brandes, via video message. “North Rhine-Westphalia stands more than ever at Ukraine's side,’ said the minister. ‘After more than 1,000 days of war against Ukraine, it is all the more important to send a clear signal of solidarity and a strong sign for the reconstruction of Ukraine with the DniPRONrw project.”
We are convinced that academic partnerships are bridges that remain stable even in difficult times.
“We are convinced that academic partnerships are bridges that remain strong even in difficult times. As universities, we therefore see it as our responsibility to preserve and create spaces for dialogue, reflection, joint research, and exchange – especially when war and destruction threaten these spaces,” said Rector Professor Martin Paul. “Ruhr University Bochum is proud to shape this project together with its partners in the University Alliance Ruhr – the University of Duisburg-Essen and TU Dortmund University.”
About the DniPRONrw project
Around 400 kilometres southeast of the capital Kyiv lies the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the Ukrainian partner region of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. With an application to support the local universities and their teaching staff, the University Alliance Ruhr, led by Professor Björn Rothstein from the German Studies Institute at Ruhr University Bochum and Elena Resch from the Liaison Office for Eastern Europe/Central Asia at the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr), successfully applied to the Ministry of Culture and Science for funding for the ‘DniPRONrw’ project. Cooperation partners are Professor Heike Roll from the DaZ/DaF Institute at the University of Duisburg-Essen and Professor Christian Zimmer from the German Studies Institute at TU Dortmund University.
In the DniPRONrw project, Ukrainian teachers gain access to digitally available courses from UA Ruhr partner universities, which they can use and further develop; their students can earn credits for their studies by attending UA Ruhr courses as digital guest students. The project promotes both the exchange of digital courses and stays in Germany as part of summer schools.