Education links between Harper Adams University and Ukraine celebrated through campaign
Students from Ukraine will arrive in Shropshire as links between universities are celebrated as part of a national campaign.
Relations between Harper Adams University and the Odessa National University of Technology (ONUT) are among those being marked in the Universities UK International (UUKI) 'Twin for Hope' campaign.
Driven by UUKI and the Cormack Consultancy Group, Twin for Hope sees colleagues from each respective twin university stay in regular contact via online meetings to build relationships and make plans for sustaining Ukrainian education during the war.
The partnership being built between Shropshire and Odessa will include a group of four students from ONUT studying at Harper Adams during the 2022/23 academic year, thanks to a donation from the Harper Adams Club alumni association.
It is hoped the university will be able to welcome more Ukrainian students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as faculty members from ONUT.
Harper Adams' Strategic Adviser, Policy, Institutional Strategy and International, Ian Rowley said: “Harper Adams, as an institution stands with Ukraine during the ongoing war.
“The conflict is having a global effect – not least in some of the areas which Harper Adams as a University seeks to address, such as the provision of sustainable and secure access to food and agricultural commodities.
“Indeed, the Ukraine war has shown the similarities between our countries – and the importance of education in harnessing the strengths of each.
“That’s why it is so important for us as an institution to work alongside the Odessa National University of Technology, boosting the links between our institutions, and supporting colleagues in Ukraine to ensure they can access academic resources, collaboration, and support.”
As well as hosting its Ukrainian student visitors later this year, among the associations already forged between the two universities have been research collaboration on gluten-free foods, Harper Adams staff judging student work in the ONUT ‘Black Sea Science’ competition and ONUT staff interacting with the upcoming fifth Symposium on Agri-Tech Economics for Sustainable Futures later this month.
