DAAD Kick-off Event in Berlin

On 3 and 4 December 2025, the official kick-off event of the DAAD-funded programme German-Ukrainian University Network (DUHN) took place in Berlin. The event marked the launch of 30 collaborative German-Ukrainian projects and the first network meeting of the growing DUHN community. More than 100 representatives from universities, politics and partner organisations from both countries participated.

The opening ceremony highlighted the importance of long-term academic cooperation between German and Ukrainian higher education institutions. Speakers emphasised the strong commitment, resilience and innovative capacity of the participating universities, as well as the significant potential of the newly established network. The event demonstrated that, despite existing challenges, German-Ukrainian university cooperation offers valuable opportunities for sustainable academic development and mutual learning.

In addition to the opening session, the programme included plenary discussions, networking formats, poster sessions and thematic workshops. These provided participants with opportunities to exchange experiences, discuss practical challenges such as mobility frameworks, digital teaching formats and differing academic structures, and to explore solutions within the DUHN network. Overall, the kick-off meeting underlined the importance of cooperation based on partnership, mutual respect and shared responsibility.

Participation of FH Dortmund and Project Launch UA4PIM

Representatives of Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts (FH Dortmund) participated in the kick-off event together with Prof. Viktor Greshta, Rector of the National University “Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic” (NUZP), who travelled from Ukraine to attend the meeting in person. As Rector of one of the core partner universities, Prof. Greshta represented the UA4PIM project and played an important role in the discussions and networking activities.

The event provided an excellent opportunity for in-depth exchange between FH Dortmund and its Ukrainian partners. In particular, it allowed for direct coordination meetings, strategic discussions and the further strengthening of the long-standing cooperation within the framework of the newly funded DAAD project UA4PIM – University Alliance for Project and Innovation Management for Ukraine, as well as the existing double degree programme in Computer Science at the Master’s level.

UA4PIM – University Alliance for Project and Innovation Management for Ukraine

With UA4PIM, FH Dortmund builds on more than 15 years of successful cooperation with three Ukrainian partner universities: National University Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic (NUZP), Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture (KNUCA), and West Ukrainian National University (WUNU) in Ternopil. The project aims to secure, expand and further institutionalise this cooperation through the establishment of a structured university alliance with a focus on project management, digitalisation, innovation and sustainability.

A key objective of UA4PIM is its integration into the European network European Partnership for Project and Innovation Management (EuroPIM), in which the Ukrainian partners have already been actively involved since its foundation. The close alignment of UA4PIM and EuroPIM offers strong potential for knowledge transfer at the Master’s and PhD levels and is supported by industry partners as well as international professional associations such as IEEE and IPMA.

At the same time, UA4PIM aims to strengthen and modernise English-language education and research in Ukraine in areas that are highly relevant for sustainable development, innovation and the modernisation of higher education. Planned activities include the development and piloting of new Master’s modules, the expansion of double degree programmes, the implementation of digital education infrastructures, train-the-trainer programmes for academic staff, and the establishment of peer-to-peer and alumni networks.

By actively engaging with the German-Ukrainian University Network, UA4PIM also seeks to open its formats to additional partners and to transfer project results to other Ukrainian universities. In this way, the project contributes to the further development of a strong, connected and sustainable German-Ukrainian higher education network.