From General Conclusions to Real-World Cases: Second FORWARD Project Workshop at Karazin University

On September 24, 2026, Karazin University hosted the second online stakeholder workshop, “From General Conclusions to Real-World Cases,” as part of the international FORWARD project — Urban Resilience & Open Science in War Regions, implemented with the support of the Erasmus+ programme. The event brought together more than 100 representatives of the academic community, government and local authorities, municipal services, civil society organizations, as well as experts and practitioners. The workshop provided a platform for professional dialogue on current challenges to urban resilience in wartime and Ukraine’s future recovery.

The discussion focused on six key areas addressed by the FORWARD project team: open science, water resource management, energy resilience, food security, housing and shelters, and gender equality. Participants considered these areas not in isolation, but as interconnected components of the resilience of cities and communities. Particular attention during the workshop was devoted to working with cross-cutting practical cases that make it possible to trace how a single crisis factor can simultaneously affect different areas of urban life. One such case was the impact of prolonged power outages in Ukraine on the functioning of cities and communities — from water supply and energy to food security, housing infrastructure, access to data, gender equality, and consideration of the needs of different social groups.

During the workshop, participants shared their professional experience, analyzed specific situations, and discussed the solutions, competencies, and tools needed to respond to complex challenges in wartime and during recovery. An important objective of the workshop was to bring together academic knowledge and the practical expertise of representatives of communities, government authorities, and professionals directly involved in urban resilience. The results of the discussions will form the basis for the FORWARD international team’s further work on developing educational materials. These materials are intended to be closely aligned with the real needs of Ukrainian cities and communities and to help develop the competencies required to respond to crises, support recovery, and strengthen urban resilience in the long term. The project team thanks all workshop participants for their active engagement, expertise, openness to dialogue, and willingness to share their experience.

The project is funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for the views and opinions expressed.