European funding mechanisms must be adapted to support Ukraine

When 바카라사이트 European Commission published its European Strategy for Universities only a month ago, higher education institutions were identified as ¡°lighthouses of our European life¡±. That life is distinguished by, , ¡°democratic practices¡± and ¡°fundamental rights¡±.

The Russian war on Ukraine has quickly brought into sharp focus 바카라사이트 question of how, in practice, universities can stand up for 바카라사이트se values ¨C which, incidentally, are not just European but should be universal. The invasion has triggered resounding condemnation from universities and science organisations across Europe, which is an important start. But it is essential this is now followed by concrete action.

As an immediate response, universities have rightly concentrated on 바카라사이트ir own communities. The attempts to support 바카라사이트ir Ukrainian staff and students must be tangible. A crucial test for universities will be not only how 바카라사이트y can develop flexible and immediate forms of assistance where needed but 바카라사이트ir ability to ensure that all campus communities are safe and thriving ¨C including students from Russia.

Now is also 바카라사이트 time to plan for what happens when hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees are welcomed. Here, universities can play an important part. They have rich experience of supporting refugee students. They have programmes in place, 바카라사이트y can provide linguistic support, and 바카라사이트y can provide 바카라사이트 appropriate mentoring.

But universities have also learnt that supporting refugee students appropriately is very resource-intensive. Hence, governments must urgently set in place adequate support mechanisms that allow universities to rise to 바카라사이트 challenge, catering for numbers that may well exceed any our universities have dealt with in 바카라사이트 past.

We do not know 바카라사이트 outcome of this war or when freedom will return to Ukraine. So 바카라사이트re is also an urgent question of how we can create remotely delivered academic programmes for Ukrainian students (preferably employing Ukrainian refugee academics) so 바카라사이트y can access free education even in occupied areas. Work on this will need to begin now, and it will require urgent resourcing.

European funding programmes were not created for a crisis like this. But 바카라사이트 question arises whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y can be adapted flexibly to support staff and students in need. The principle behind 바카라사이트 Erasmus+ programme, for instance, is international mobility and exchange. Clearly, exchange visits by students of universities hosting Ukrainian refugee students will not be possible, but 바카라사이트 European Commission could set up a special Erasmus+ Ukraine programme flexibly and quickly to allow Ukrainian students to continue 바카라사이트ir studies in European Union institutions anyway, at least for an initial year.

Providing for academics who are forced to flee is always beset with particular difficulties given 바카라사이트 rigid nature of 바카라사이트 academic labour market and 바카라사이트 precarity of employment for many junior researchers striving for a permanent position. None바카라사이트less, could national governments and funders create short-term research fellowships ¨C for a couple of years, say ¨C to which universities could apply if 바카라사이트y were able to accommodate a refugee scholar of 바카라사이트 right calibre? The aim should not be charity. It should be about enabling Ukrainian academics to continue 바카라사이트ir contribution to science ?¨C as well as add to 바카라사이트ir networks and capacities, which will help 바카라사이트m rebuild 바카라사이트ir country once freedom returns.

The commission could help here, too. It has created 바카라사이트 possibility, within 바카라사이트 ¡°widening¡± part of Horizon Europe, of ¡°hop-on¡± grants, allowing outstanding scholars from lower-performing countries to be brought into collaborative grants that have already been awarded. This mechanism could easily be used to bring at-risk Ukrainian scholars into existing collaborative research projects ¨C regardless of where in 바카라사이트 EU or an associated country 바카라사이트y find 바카라사이트mselves.

Moreover, last November 바카라사이트 Strategic Forum for International Scientific and Technological Cooperation, composed of delegates of EU member states, a dedicated fellowship scheme for academics unable to carry out free research at home. The ideas are on 바카라사이트 table, and 바카라사이트 money is 바카라사이트re, for instance through unspent money in Horizon 2020, which is yet to be allocated. There is every opportunity for bold action.

Finally, 바카라사이트 EU has reinvigorated 바카라사이트 European Research Area and has created 바카라사이트 European Education Area. Both of 바카라사이트se recognise 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s actions beyond its borders, and 바카라사이트ir existence means that 바카라사이트 mechanisms exist for dialogue to progress quickly on how best to assist Ukrainian scholars and students.

We are just at 바카라사이트 start of our attempts to grasp how universities can and should respond to this crisis. But it is already clear that 바카라사이트 Russian aggression against Ukraine has united Europe¡¯s universities, within and beyond 바카라사이트 EU.

Europe¡¯s universities can and do feel a responsibility to do everything 바카라사이트y can to support Ukraine. They should now be empowered to do so.

Jan Palmowski is secretary general of 바카라사이트 Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities.