Second International Twinning conference. Key Highlights

It has been a week since the Second International UK-Ukraine Twinning Conference that took place on the 4th and 5th of July at Vistula University who kindly welcomed 150 participants on their campus in Warsaw. This gathering marked two years of collaboration between universities from the United Kingdom and Ukraine.

Approximately 150 representatives from Twinning institutions and various stakeholders attended to discuss the outcomes and future directions of this joint initiative. Key discussions centered around the significant achievements made by academic communities since the inception of the project, including the implementation of dual degree programmes, impactful research projects, and the provision of crucial material and technical assistance as well as various capacity building efforts.

The event started with the afternoon reception at the British Embassy in Warsaw on the 4th of July which set a positive tone for the entire conference.

Then, the participants had a full working day of different sessions and presentations, including panel discussions. The conference started with a welcome word from Charles Cormack, and then followed with a presentation from Mychailo Wynnyckyj, the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, who spoke about the challenges of higher education over the years of full-scale invasion, including the damage of energy infrastructure, and the resilience of the academic community.

Following this presentation, there was a discussion on the sustainable development of Ukraine’s higher education in the conditions of war. Speakers included Olga Budnyk, Plenipotentiary Advisor of the President of Ukraine for the Fund of the President of Ukraine for the Support of Education, Science and Sports; Dame Sally Mapstone - the President of Universities UK; and Colm McGivern, Director of the British Council (Ukraine).

Charles Cormack, Chairman of CCG, reflected on the achievements and challenges encountered in implementing the Twinning initiative.

The dual degree programme was highlighted as one of the important milestones of the project. The dual degree programmes enable Ukrainian students to pursue dual master's programmes with UK universities which leads to 2 diplomas. We are excited that already 10 university pairs have embarked on this journey.

During the conference, participants were also presented with amazing opportunities which will help them strengthen and deepen cooperation between Twins.

The conference culminated with a thought-provoking panel discussion on the role of institutions in Ukraine's reconstruction, brilliantly chaired by Vivienne Stern, the CEO of UUK, featuring esteemed speakers Ukrainian Deputy Minister for Education, Plenipotentiary Advisor at the Fund of the President of Ukraine for the Support of Education, Science and Sport, Principal & Agribusiness Adviser at European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Director for Projects at Cormack Consultancy Group, and representatives of the universities in Twinning - Coventry University, Ukrainian Catholic University, Sumy National Agrarian University.

In closing, Martin Cushing, Regional Manager for the UK Government’s Science and Innovation Network, expressed heartfelt gratitude to all participants for their unwavering support of the Twinning project.

We extend our gratitude to all organisations whose contributions made this conference possible - Virtual Internships, Oxford International, Wiley, Foreign&Commonwealth and Development Office, Universities UK, and Universities UK International.

The recording of the conference is here.