Image: Tom Grill, via Shutterstock
Lviv-based institution joins EC2U, gaining access to European initiatives
The Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in Ukraine has formally joined the EC2U Alliance during a ceremony hosted by Università di Pavia on 4 April.
The EC2U Alliance—European Campus of City Universities—is a multi-cultural and multi-lingual alliance funded through the EU’s Erasmus+ programme to encourage mobility between the seven universities and associated cities. The members are Coimbra (Portugal), Iasi (Romania), Jena (Germany), Poitiers (France), Salamanca (Spain), Turku (Finland) and Italy’s Pavia.
The partner universities are running three virtual institutes for research on health, education and sustainability, in order to up their chances when applying for research funding. They are also in the process of developing joint Masters’ degrees that will be recognised by all partner institutions.
During the ceremony, the governance board of the Ivan Franko National University—Ukraine’s oldest university, established in 1661—joined via video link, while the welcome meeting in Pavia took place in person.
“Our colleagues from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv have been welcomed as strategic partners of our alliance, while the possibility of accepting Ukrainian institutions as associate partners is being discussed at the political level,” said Antonella Forlino, pro-rector of Università di Pavia in charge of internationalisation.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February. According to the United Nations, at least 2,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict so far, but the Ukrainian government estimates the number is in excess of 23,000.
At present, researchers and students from Ukrainian universities are not allowed to apply for all EU research funding or bursaries. However, by joining the EC2U Alliance, staff at Ivan Franko can take part in joint initiatives at no cost, such as online courses and workshops organised by the virtual institutes, Forlino said.
At the event, Università di Pavia promoted a fundraising campaign called Bridgenet to support international academics and students in need. In early April, this campaign sent three volunteers with medical supplies to a refugee camp in Poland, near the border with Ukraine. There, the team offered relief and medical assistance to refugees.
A version of this article also appeared in Research Europe