The seven universities in the EUNICE higher education alliance have taken numerous measures to help the people from Ukraine.
Today, war is raging in the Eastern European country and for six months, the Ukrainians have been fighting against the invader army from Russia. For six months, the life of an entire nation has been completely turned upside down. We, the EUNICE European University, also condemn the Russian attack on Ukraine and express our support for the country and its people in various ways.
In Poland, at the Poznań University of Technology (PUT), the entire academic community has been actively involved in providing assistance to Ukrainian refugees – be it in finding accommodation, fundraising or sending medicines and urgently needed goods to Ukrainian partner universities and organisations. The sports centre was unceremoniously transformed into a reception centre that housed more than 2,200 refugees. Polish courses and an Erasmus+ fund for exchange students from Ukrainian partner universities provide financial support and integration into the local community.
It is precisely these offers of assistance that can be found at all universities in the EUNICE higher education alliance: whether at the Finnish University of Vaasa (UVA), the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) in Germany, University of Catania (UNICT) in Italy, at the University of Mons (UMONS) in Belgium, at the University of Cantabria (UC) in Spain or at the Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF), free national language courses and free participation in different courses to Ukrainian students who had to interrupt their studies due to the war have been offered; several humanitarian actions were implemented; scholarships have been set up, student fee waivers were granted; and interpreting services and physcologic support provided.
