Joint research collaboration with our Ukrainian twin partner

Since 2008, the University of Glasgow has been partnered with the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA), a national research university located in Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2022, the University of Glasgow was twinned with NaUKMA through the “Twin for Hope” twinning initiative, led by Universities UK International (UUKi) and Cormack Consultancy, at Glasgow’s request. Over the summer 2023, funding has supported new activities to further strengthen the partnership.

Our partnership has been characterised as one that is strategic in nature, with a focus on long-term collaboration across research, learning & teaching and mobility, rather than only short-term immediate support.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmuOgUUSamE

Earlier in 2023, the universities were awarded a joint grant award to take forward a research project. UUKi’s “UK-Ukraine R&I twinning grants scheme” is funded by Research England and provides funding for higher education institutions participating in the UK-Ukraine Twinning Initiative. The investment allows partners to collaborate on and build their capacity in research and innovation into the future.

This funding has been vital in allowing us to increase and strengthen our commitment to supporting our Ukrainian partner and allowing them to address research and innovation challenges, while also providing new resources to them. It has also allowed Glasgow to scale up and sustain our commitment to working with NaUKMA.

As part of the project, during the summer of 2023, the University was delighted to welcome to Glasgow around 25 academics from NaUKMA for research development purposes. The research interests covered areas including business and finance, chemistry, linguistics, history, law, physics, literature and war studies.

Glasgow’s Researcher Development team also delivered a bespoke virtual summer academy titled “Communicate your research” which brought together researchers and PhD students from NaUKMA and the University of Glasgow in a series of workshops and panel discussions on the following themes: You and your ideas; Communicating your research; and Engaging others with your research.

A group of visiting students from NaUKMA

The Academic and Digital Development team at Glasgow also teamed up with their counterparts at NaUKMA to undertake a bespoke professional development training programme that focussed on a scholarly approach to research-led teaching which supports academic development in research-intensive institutions.

The connections created through this project will help support and build both longer-term research and innovation collaboration and capacity between the UK and Ukraine.