Press release | 21 February 2023 | bk

One Year of War in Ukraine

TU Berlin has a number of programs to provide support for researchers and students from the Ukraine / Report on four Ukrainians who fled their homeland and their experiences after the war broke out / Arranging interview appointments with visiting scholars

A year ago, the war in Ukraine began. Within just a few days of the start of the war, TU Berlin had already initiated a number of support measures to provide direct help for Ukrainian researchers and students. Members of the University, private individuals, businesses and foundations contributed approximately 90,000 euros to TU Berlin’s appeal campaign. In recent months, this money has been used to support 18 students in their studies or applications. Donations were also used to support visiting scholars. This funding is administrated by the Department of International Affairs, whose responsibilities also include distributing research funding to 30 Ukrainian scientists. International Scientific Cooperation has organized placements with suitable academic chairs at TU Berlin for most of these researchers.

Ukrainian Visiting Scientists Report / Arrangement of Interviews

On the website https://www.tu.berlin/en/go208678/ we introduce four Ukrainian guest researchers/students. They talk about their work/studies in their home country, how they came to TU Berlin and what they are doing here. Note for journalists: The guest researchers are also available for interview requests. To contact them, please send an email to pressestelle(at)tu-berlin.de 

Extensive help for refugees

“In Ukraine, cities are in ruins, universities and educational institutions have been destroyed. We cannot imagine what it must mean to have to flee our homes. At TU Berlin we have introduced a wide range of measures to support researchers and students. However, it is also important for us to be there for people in this situation. This is why we have also launched a number of programs, such as ‘Bridge IT,’ to help refugees in other areas of their lives,” says Professor Dr. Geraldine Rauch, president of TU Berlin. 

“Bridge IT” was set up for Afghan refugees with funding from the DAAD’s INTEGRA program and has now been expanded to include refugees from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. They receive support in the preparation and implementation of doctoral projects through specialist advice, German courses are offered, and there are also special advisory events and coaching for entering the job market in Germany.

Eighteen students from Ukraine have been accepted to study at the University’s Preparatory School, where they can take preparation courses and examinations leading to an assessment test and the chance to study at a university in Germany. These students also receive INTEGRA funding as well as support from teachers at the Preparatory School. Starting summer semester 2023, a new round of language courses is planned for 15 refugees. The aim here is also to help participants integrate successfully into society as well as prepare them for university studies and teach them German for special purposes.

TU Berlin’s Academic Advising Service similarly provides extensive support for Ukrainian students. Its “IN2TU” program for visiting students is currently preparing 19 Ukrainians to start or return to studying.

Success for project proposals submitted to the DAAD

In 2022, TU Berlin submitted two successful project applications to the DAAD’s special program “Ukraine digital – ensuring academic success in times of crisis.”

Firstly, the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management and the Centre for Entrepreneurship set up a digital degree program for Ukrainian students at the National Technical University of Kyiv. Twelve academics from Ukraine have digitized their courses at TU Berlin for this purpose. In addition, existing digital courses in the Innovation Management, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability (IMES) master’s program will be subtitled in Ukrainian, made accessible to Ukrainian students and integrated into the curriculum.

The project "Bridge Ukraine Digital" supports four female university lecturers from Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa who fled Ukraine after the outbreak of the war and came to TU Berlin as visiting scholars. The aim of the project is to provide comprehensive support to enable these academics to continue teaching at their universities in Ukraine and establish long-term collaborations with related disciplines at TU Berlin. Support is to be provided on a subject-specific level, but also with a focus on didactics in the context of digital teaching.

The department of International Affairs also successfully applied for the project "Future Ukraine". As part of this project, 15 scholarships will be awarded to refugees from Ukraine for up to 24 months. The scholarships are intended to train specialists and managers for reconstruction. In addition, these students will receive professional and linguistic support for their studies or doctorate, advising in the areas of family, residence law, etc., as well as expert psychological support to help them achieve success in their studies.

Further informations

Contact

Stefanie Terp

Chief Communication Officer, Head of the Office of Communication, Events and Alumni & Spokeswoman of TU Berlin

pressestelle@tu-berlin.de

Organization name TU Berlin