€51,000 for Kharkiv University of Applied Sciences from Uni Innsbruck & Co
Ukraine war. The universities of the European Aurora University Network are currently meeting in Tyrol at the invitation of their member, the University of Innsbruck. There is 51,000 euros in support for the rector of Karasin University in Kharkiv in the Ukraine.
Around 180 delegates from various European countries are currently meeting at the University of Innsbruck: they are part of the Aurora University Network, to which the University of Innsbruck has belonged since 2019 and whose annual network meeting it is organizing this year. A thematic block of today’s opening panel complements the joint activities of the Aurora Universities in Ukraine, in particular with the National V.N. Karasin University in Kharkiv.
A university at war
The University of Kharkiv is an “Associate Partner” of the Aurora European University Alliance, whose rector Tetyana Kaganovska is currently also in Innsbruck and reported on the difficult situation in her city at the network meeting: “We are currently going through the most difficult moments since Ukrainian independence. I come as a witness to the war, the murder and the expulsion of my license and students. In moments like these feelings, I am honored to be able to personally represent our community of Kharkiv Karasin University from eastern Ukraine.”
In order to support the ongoing (online) operations of the University of Kharkiv, the Aurora Universities have the focus of the joint work package “Capacity Development Support Programme”, which promotes cooperation with Central and Eastern European universities, on supporting the college * inside from and in Kharkiv and set up a joint donation account.
In total, around 51,000 euros were generated as direct financial support for Kharkiv, which Rector Kaganovska has now received. In the picture: Aurora President Jón Atli Benediktsson (center) and Rector Tilmann Märk (right) present the donation to Tetyana Kaganovska, Rector of Kharkiv University (left).
The work package and the emergency aid for Kharkiv are led by the Palacky University of Olomouc (Olomouc) and supported by the Aurora Central Office in Amsterdam. People from Kharkiv who fled there are now also working in Olomouc.
At least 17 victims so far
In peacetime, the Karasin University in Kharkiv has around 28,000 employees and students. “According to the QS rating, we are the best Ukrainian university, the country’s powerhouse for education and science. The university is the heart of Kharkiv and it remains in Kharkiv despite the shelling of the city and numerous siege attempts that lasted 77 days. We were able to accommodate the admissions and students of the university as well as possible and on the 33rd day of the war we switched our teaching completely online. Our lecturers hold their lectures from basements and emergency shelters and from different parts of the world,” said the Rector in her statement: “Unfortunately, there are irreparable losses in the university family: At least 17 people lost their lives, including 2 students, 5 professors and 10 alumni. Despite this, we continue to fight and actively plan the future activities of the university.”
The Aurora Network
The Aurora network currently assembled in Innsbruck consists of nine European universities: University of Innsbruck (A), University of Iceland, Reykjavik (IS), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL), University of Duisburg-Essen (D), Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (IT), Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona, ES), Palacky University Olomouc (Olomouc, CZ), University of East Anglia (Norwich, UK) and Copenhagen Business School (DK).
The most important project of the network is the joint Aurora European University Alliance, one of 41 university alliances funded by the EU Commission. These alliances implement innovative ways of university cooperation in Europe, especially to promote the seamless mobility of students and staff. The Aurora European University Alliance brings together 260,000 students, 30,000 staff, 112 faculties and 813 research groups. They will be supported with a total of 7 million euros from the funds of the Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020 funding programs.