Ukrainian Higher Education at the European Association for International Education Conference (17-20.09.2024, Toulouse)
September 17-20, 2024, Toulouse. The delegation from Ukraine took part in the events of the International Conference of the European Association for International Education (EAE) with the support of the organizers and the DAAD project, which is coordinated by the University of Libniz Hannover and in cooperation with the Ukrainian State Center for International Education at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, PNRM and the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine.
The preparatory work of the delegation included entering information on the conference platform, creating content and design of the stand and handouts. Coordination meetings on the preparation were held before the conference by Natalia BUTYCH, coordinator of the DAAD MOI project. We thank the team of V.I. Karazin Kharkiv National University for the professional design of the stand.
The most powerful representation of the situation in Ukraine, for the second year during the conference, was the exposition of the initiative of Ukrainian students Unissued Diplomas, which did not leave indifferent any participant of the conference and exhibition.
The conference brought together more than 7300 professionals from all over the world who are concerned with the development of international cooperation and, among other things, foreign students.
All panel discussions, trainings and seminars during the conference were devoted to innovations in the development of internationalization tools. A separate session was devoted to the future planning of EU programs in the fields of education and science for the new period after 2027.
Ukrainian education was represented by the Ukrainian State Center for International Education, the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine and 18 universities from Ukraine.
This year, Ukrainian participants were speakers at 4 sessions, during the special session of the European Commission devoted to Ukraine and the session on the future of EU programs in the fields of education and science, joined the sessions of the European University Alliances, seminars, trainings and held a number of meetings with new and long-term partners.
For 4 days of the event, there was a stand Ukrainian Higher Education, where materials of Ukrainian institutions were presented and every day meetings were held. It is important to note the strong interest of the conference participants in Ukraine and the willingness to support as much as necessary, which was discussed by visitors from different countries of the world and continents.
Among the visitors of the stand were representatives of the European Commission, President of EAIE, Ministers of education, National Erasmus+ Agencies and Offices, Erasmus Institutional Coordinators, representatives of international cooperation departments of universities from around the world.
Svitlana SHYTIKOVA, Coordinator of the National Erasmus+ office – Ukraine, presented to the visitors of the stand the situation in the field of higher education, key priorities and opportunities for cooperation and provided contacts of higher education institutions of Ukraine that were not represented at the stand.
Iryna SIKORSKA, Director of the Center of International Education of Mariupol State University, National Higher Education Reform Expert, join the conference and will serve in the Thematic Committee on Leadership, Strategy and Policy of the EAIE together with six scholars and practitioners from different counties, different institutions and academic cultures, united by the ideals of internationalization of higher education. The nine new Thematic Committees will contribute to the creation and curation of high-quality, relevant content within the EAIE, helping to enrich the professional journeys of the members. Appointed by the current Board, taking into account a Member Consultation and various other considerations to achieve a balanced composition, these Thematic Committee members are poised to make significant contributions. The new Thematic Committees will serve a two-year term, from 2024–2026.
Olena SULYMA, Deputy Director of the Ukrainian State Center for International Education, promoted widely the opportunities for the international students to study in Ukraine.
We sincerely thank the partners from Ukrainian institutions who also recommended partners from other universities. The team of participants demonstrated co-creation, high cohesion, interaction and cooperation.
Participants from Ukraine were represented by the following institutions:
- V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University and Ukrainian Engineering Pedagogics Academy
- Mariupol State University
- Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding
- Dnipro University of Technology
- Donbas State Pedagogical University
- Chernihiv Polytechnic National University
- Mukachevo State University
- National University “Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic”
- Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University
- National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”
- Sumy State University
- Sumy National Agrarian University
- International Scientific and Technical University
- ERIHE «Kamianets-Podilskyi state institute»
- National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
- National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”
- Lutsk National Technical University
- European International University
Special thanks to the organisers team of EAIE that provides opportunities to cover the stand and part of the delegation expenses as well as European Commission and DAAD project MOI for coordination and funding of the Ukrainian team of the project partners.
Hope for more projects applications this year togeter with partners found during the event!
Very much look forward to the 35th EAIE event next year!