Twinning with the University of York

At the time of the challenges Karazin University has to face because of the war against Ukraine unleashed by Russia, many partners and friends of our University have strengthened their support and assistance.

The University of York has become a UK partner higher education institution for Karazin University under the Twinning Initiative launched by Cormack Consultancy Group in partnership with Universities UK with the assistance of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in response to threats to the higher education sector in Ukraine posed by the Russian invasion.

The University of York was established in 1963, and now ranks 151st in the QS World University Rankings as the most prestigious ranking of the top universities all over the world. Today, students from more than 150 countries study at the University.

On March 2, 2022, the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of York, Professor Charlie Jeffery, addressed students and teachers of the University with a statement in support of Ukraine, strongly condemning the Russian attack on our country and announcing numerous initiatives aimed at helping Ukrainian citizens.

The Twinning programme was launched with the active support of the British education consulting company Cormack Consultancy Group and the Universities UK association, as well as in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in order to establish partnerships between universities of Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the European Union, namely to determine the best ways to support particular higher education institutions and create long-term alliances of universities. So far, more than 70 partnerships between UK and Ukrainian universities are now in place within this initiative.

The Twinning projects are based on the combination of the experience of UK and US universities with the reality of Ukrainian universities in order to create long-term strategic alliances in the field of higher education and research. The initiative provides for multidimensional cooperation between Ukrainian and UK universities, which would make it possible specifically and effectively give support to every higher education institution participating in the programme. The project aims to establish more than 100 long-term, sustainable partnerships to support Ukrainian institutions, students and researchers during the war and beyond. Universities UK has published a full list of twinned universities, correct as of 28 June 2022.

On June 21, 2022, at the initiative and active mediation of the British consulting company Cormack Consultancy Group, a Memorandum of Understanding between V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University and the University of York has been signed.

Йорк_меморандум_основне фото — Pic credit: the University of York

From left to right: Professor Anton Panteleymonov, Vice-President of KKNU, Professor Tetyana Kaganovska, President of KNNU, Associate Professor Natalya Oliynyk, Acting Head of International Relations Office of KKNU, Director of Partners from Cormack Consultancy Group Professor Phill Gray, Saul Tendler, York’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Sarah Beeston, Project manager, Vaughan McKee, York’s Global Partnerships Officer, Professor Charlie Jeffery, York’s Vice-Chancellor, Patrick O'Donnell, President of YUSU and Vitalina Shevchenko, Head of the Student Council of KKNU.

During the signing of the Memorandum, Professor Charlie Jeffery, Vice-Chancellor of the University of York, said: «It has been extraordinary to build a programme of collaboration with a University which has been under bombardment for months. That our colleagues in V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University have been thinking even in those circumstances about how to work jointly with the University of York on staff and student exchange, accessing online learning materials, and preserving precious library collections has been inspirational. So it was both exciting and humbling to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that will shape our collaboration through and beyond the war».

Professor Tetyana Kaganovska, President of KKNU, said: «The MoU had created an umbrella framework encompassing new pilot programmes combining the knowledge, expertise, and networks of the two institutions. It will support the capacity-building for the restoration of the education process, creation of new methodological principles and practices as well as the agenda for sustainable development of our partnership despite the war. I am looking forward to the new actions that will be developed as a result of this mutual collaboration».