As part of the project “Supporting Ukraine through Citizen Engagement at Baltic
Universities – Baltics4UA”, Lviv Polytechnic team held a seminar “Cooperation of
Higher Education with Local and International Partners in Support of Humanitarian
Crisis Participants: Experience of Cooperation, Development Prospects” on April 25,
2024, at the Scientific and Technical Library of Lviv Polytechnic National University.
The purpose of the event was to create a space for the exchange of experiences, ideas
and best practices between universities from around the world in the field of
supporting those involved in humanitarian crises.
A total of 37 participants registered for the event, including 16 non-academic staff.
Since an air alert was declared in Ukraine before the event, not all registered
participants were able to attend. Nevertheless, the event was attended by 32
participants, 15 of whom were representatives of non-academic staff of Lviv
Polytechnic National University.
The workshop was held in a friendly atmosphere and consisted of two parts.
During the theoretical panel, experts Oleksandr Berezko (PhD in Engineering,
Associate Professor of the Department of Social Communications and Information
Activity at Lviv Polytechnic, ex-president of the European Council of Graduate
Students and Young Researchers (Eurodoc)) and Olha Romanenko (PhD in
Economics, Associate Professor at the State University of Trade and Economics)
shared their experience in engaging international partners in cooperation to overcome
humanitarian crises.
In particular, Oleksandr Berezko emphasized the importance of scientific advocacy of
Ukrainian researchers in the international arena. According to the expert, this can
provide the scientific community with the necessary support from political leaders
and authorities to develop the scientific base, fund research, and create a favorable
environment for scientific efforts. Science diplomacy helps the scientific community
to communicate with the general public, to understand the importance of scientific
achievements and their impact on society, especially in times of humanitarian crises.
Olga Romanenko emphasized the importance of maintaining common values during
humanitarian crises. The expert emphasized the formation of such values during the
russian-ukrainian war. In such situations, the formation and support of common
values can play a key role in strengthening solidarity and mutual understanding
between people, including in the international arena.
During the discussion, the workshop participants analyzed the main challenges and
prospects for the development of such cooperation between higher education and
local and international partners in supporting the humanitarian crisis. In particular,
the workshop participants stated the following main conclusions and
recommendations:
- The demand for active cooperation between universities and international
partners in the field of humanitarian aid emphasizes the importance of
formulating and jointly implementing strategies aimed at supporting those
involved in crisis requiring urgent assistance and protection of human rights.
- Science diplomacy is a key factor in ensuring support for Ukrainian scientific
research and the scientific community at the international level, which
contributes to the development of the country’s innovation potential and its
successful integration into the global scientific space. - Developing common values in times of humanitarian crises, such as the
russian-ukrainian war, is critical to strengthening solidarity and understanding
between different societies, contributing to peace and stability in the region. - Expanding international cooperation between universities and partners to
support those involved in humanitarian crises requires improving
communication mechanisms, sharing information and resources, and
promoting innovative approaches and developing effective assistance
strategies. - The need to create an open space for the exchange of experience and best
practices in the field of support for participants in humanitarian crisis
emphasizes the importance of joint efforts of universities and partners to
effectively respond to the challenges of our time. - Successful cooperation between universities and international partners in the
field of humanitarian aid is based on mutual trust, openness to new ideas and
willingness to cooperate, which contributes to the achievement of common
goals and solving urgent problems. - In order to succeed in supporting those involved in humanitarian crisis, it is
necessary to continue to develop partnerships between universities and
international organizations, actively engage the public and promote the
formation of joint action strategies.
