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Partnerships with Ukraine – Bath Spa University

Partnerships with Ukraine

Bath Spa University has been working closely with universities in Ukraine for over a decade.

The University has partnered on several large projects focusing on quality assurance and university governance. It has also led on EU-funded projects to reform the teaching of journalism in Ukrainian universities and to develop the use of immersive technology in the teaching of art and design.

The University has also hosted many visits from Ukrainian colleagues and Bath Spa University staff have been frequent visitors to Ukraine.

In June 2022, BSU twinned with the Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities (IUEH) in Rivne, as part of UUK’s 'Twin for Hope' initiative.

The two universities have held online lectures, training, and solidarity events, and secured funding from Research England and UKRI to strengthen IUEH’s research and innovation capacity through joint papers and publications, BSU-led leadership and resilience training, and the purchase of equipment to support IUEH’s Museum of Peace.

Bath Spa University stands in solidarity with Ukraine and we are delighted to partner with IUEH in this way, to provide support, and to strengthen ties of friendship and cooperation through the development of academic, cultural and personal exchange.

David Newman, University Secretary, Bath Spa University

We were honoured to welcome our friends from IUEH to Bath. We have been working with them for several years but this was the first time they were able to visit us here. It was an invaluable opportunity to introduce our University, to discuss our ongoing collaborations in education, humanities, and business, and to affirm our support and solidarity for them and the people of Ukraine.

Professor Ian Gadd, Head of Development for European Projects, Bath Spa University

Our projects

I Vote for Peace: Collaboration and Compassion in a Time of War
  • Dates: 1 April 2023 – 30 September 2024
  • Funder: Research England and UKRI
  • Project number: 11103

This collaboration between the International University of Economics and Humanities (IUEH) in Ukraine and Bath Spa University took inspiration from IUEH’s ‘Museum of Peace’, established in 1999 to teach young people the value of peace and tolerance.

Through multiple online meetings and a two-day in-person workshop in Poland for 19 staff, the project strengthened IUEH’s research and innovation capacity by:

  • drafting a strategy and multi-year action plan,
  • supporting collaborative research in education and humanities including joint papers and publications,
  • providing 3 online workshops of research-skills training for IUEH faculty and research students, 
  • developing a leadership and resilience training programme for IUEH faculty to begin in February 2024, and
  • enhancing the public-facing work of the Museum of Peace through participation in a public event and the purchase of equipment and materials to support their curatorial and research work.

Project announcement

Collaborative Research and Innovation Strategy

DESTIN – Erasmus+ capacity building in Higher Education
  • Dates: 15 November 2019 – 14 November 2022
  • Project number: 598964-EPP-1-2018-1-UK-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP, an Erasmus+ KA2 – Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices – Capacity Building in the field of Higher Education

Journalism Education for Democracy in Ukraine: Developing Standards, Integrity and Professionalism.

Bath Spa University was the lead coordinator on this project, managing the €798k budget, working with 19 partners across Ukraine, Poland, Ireland, Austria and Netherlands, to deliver the four year project. 

SUCHMANA – International credit mobility
  • Dates: 1 August 2020 – 31 July 2023
  • Project Number: 2020-1-UK01-KA107-078319

International Credit Mobility.

BSU was the lead coordinator for this Erasmus+ funded staff mobility programme between Bath Spa University and Sumy State University, Ukraine, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Ukraine, University of Malawi and University of Namibia. Taking place over three years, the project enabled 72 staff to undertake training, staff development and exchange good practice.

ACCELERATE – Erasmus+ strategic partnership
  • Dates: 1 June 2021 – 30 May 2023
  • Project Number: 2020-1-UK01-KA226-HE-094684, an Erasmus+ funded Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices, Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness project.

Accessible immersive learning for art and design.

BSU was the lead coordinator for this €298k project, working with partners across Ukraine, UK, Ireland and Poland to improve the teaching of art and design at higher education in a post-pandemic Europe through the development of innovative methodologies, tools, platforms and resources for accessible immersive learning.

KA107 – Sumy State University
  • Dates: 1 August 2018 – 31 July 2021
  • Project Number: 2018-1-UK01-KA107-046969

BSU was the lead coordinator for this Erasmus+ funded staff mobility programme between Bath Spa University and Sumy State University, Ukraine. Nine mobilities successfully took place over two years, 2018–2019, in the fields of Business and International Relations. Unfortunately the programme was cut short due to Covid 19.

KA107 – Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
  • Dates: 1 June 2017 – 30 September 2018
  • Project Number: 2017-1-UK-1-LA107-035810

BSU was the lead coordinator for this Erasmus+ funded 16-month staff mobility programme between Bath Spa University and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine. 30 one-week mobilities took place in a number of flows between October 2017 and July 2018, with 18 staff from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (TSNUK) visiting Bath Spa University (BSU) and 12 BSU staff visiting TSNUK. The mobilities focused on 6 Key Priorities (KP) for learning, development and cooperation, approved and supported by the leaders of our universities.

We are pleased that this project was flagged as ‘Best Practice’ by Erasmus+.

KA107 – Sumy State University and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
  • Dates: 1 February 2016 – 31 July 2017
  • Project Number: 2015-2-UK01-KA107-022771

BSU was the lead coordinator for this Erasmus+ funded staff mobility programme between Bath Spa University, Sumy State University and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine. The project took place in a number of mobility flows over an 18-month period during 2016–2017, with 24 mobilities taking place. The principal aim of the project was to help develop mutually beneficial and sustainable partnerships between staff at BSU and the Ukrainian universities in accordance with each university’s strategic plan. The project also facilitated a 4-month mobility for a PhD student from TSNUK to BSU within the field of creative computing.

Ukraine Higher Education Leadership Development Programme
  • Dates: 20 September 2016 – 31 March 2017
  • Project Number: UKR16LD/03

Ukraine Higher Education Leadership Development Programme – Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University.

BSU was the lead coordinator for this British Council funded staff Development programme on fostering university professors' readiness for providing research-based education, with a team of senior staff visiting Bath in 2016.

ALIGN – Alignment between academic programmes and qualification frameworks
  • Dates: 1 December 2013 – 30 November 2017
  • Project Number: 543901-TEMPUS-1-2013-1-AM-TEMPUS-JPGR

Achieving and checking the alignment between academic programmes and qualification frameworks.

The wider objective of the project was to enhance the intelligibility, consistency and transferability of qualifications through establishment of mechanisms for HEIs to achieve alignment of academic programmes with NQFs and for QA agencies to check such alignment. The project was a collaboration with Armenia, Ukraine and Russia, and was led by Yerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences.

Partner universities

Over the last decade, we've partnered with 10 Ukrainian universities in nine different cities:

Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities

Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University

Sumy State University

  • 2012-2023
  • Several staff mobility exchange programmes
  • Part of the DESTIN project
  • Part of the ACCELERATE project.

Ivan Franko National University of Lviv

  • 2018–2022
  • Part of the DESTIN project.

Ukrainian Catholic University

  • 2018–2022
  • Part of the DESTIN project.

Mariupol State University

  • 2018–2022
  • Part of the DESTIN project.

Zaporizhzhia National University

  • 2018–2022
  • Part of the DESTIN project.

Uzhhorod National University

  • 2018–2022
  • Part of the DESTIN project.

Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy

  • 2018–2022
  • Part of the DESTIN project.

Taras Shvenchenko National University of Kviv

  • 2016–2022
  • Staff mobility exchange programme
  • Part of the DESTIN project.

Contact us

If you represent an international institution or organisation and wish to discuss the possibility of developing a collaborative bid for international funding, we'd love to hear from you.

We also work with BSU academics who may be looking for support to develop a bid for international funding or with an existing funded international project. In both instances, please contact Professor Ian Gadd by emailing i.gadd@bathspa.ac.uk.

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