Staff week held at UPWr as part the INTERACT project

• The INTERACT project involves Ukrainian universities in the EU GREEN consortium
• The September staff week aims to integrate with Ukrainian partners and exchange knowledge and experience
• The INTERACT project is an investment in the potential of Ukrainian universities

Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences is participating in the international alliance of European universities EU GREEN, formed under the ERASMUS+ programme by nine partner institutions from across Europe, which will form one of the first 'Universities of the Future'.

INTERACT – collaboration across borders

The primary objective of the INTERACT project is to involve Ukrainian partnering universities in meetings and other activities of the EU GREEN consortium. The whole project is funded by the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA).

The direct result of the project will be the creation of an international network of universities, which will be the basis for long-term, close collaboration between the EU GREEN consortium and universities from Ukraine. This will enable the consolidation and formalisation of existing links and the expansion of inter-institutional collaboration.

The long-term effect will be to build the potential of Ukrainian universities in the international arena through their promotion at a number of events organised as part of the EU GREEN project.

September staff week

Organised between the 4th and 8th of September, staff week is one of the core activities under the INTERACT project. It also includes research internships dedicated to Ukrainian scientists, summer schools for Ukrainian students or active participation of representatives of Ukrainian universities in EU GREEN consortium meetings.

– Above all, it is about sharing the knowledge and experience of a committed European consortium with our neighbours. We want to help Ukrainians build a network of contacts in Europe for - we hope - the near, post-war future, and we want to allocate the funds we have at our disposal to development that will be visible in the long term – says the Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Krzysztof Kafarski.

As part of the staff week, representatives of ten Ukrainian universities will listen to lectures and presentations by scientists from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, specialists from the IDEA Learning Centre or those working within the structures of the Horizon Europe programme, and even by Katarzyna Aleksy, director of the NAWA's Office of Programmes for Institutions, who will talk about the Agency's focus on Ukrainian development. On the third day, Ruta Zarnauskaite head of the "Horizon Europe Association" unit from the European Commission gave a lecture on the possibilities of supporting Ukraine's research and innovation.

On the last day, Prof. Vadym Tkachuk, pro-rector of the National University of Life Sciences in Kyiv, will also give a lecture on capacity building.

Investing in potential

An excellent example of a successful collaboration within the EU GREEN consortium will also be the workshops of Dr Sean McCarthy - Professor at University College Cork and Managing Director of Hyperion Ltd, an Irish company developing training courses for scientists. It’s worth noting that, thanks to the efforts of our Irish partners in the EU GREEN consortium, Dr McCarthy is holding the workshops during the staff week pro bono.

– The INTERACT project aims to improve the competences and qualifications of our partners – we also show them how to write applications or which scientific journals get the highest scores – says Krzysztof Kafarski. – This project is an investment in their potential – he adds.

The INTERACT staff week will last from the 4th to the 8th of September. You can read more about the whole project on the website.

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