With the reopening, the DAAD is improving its counselling services for students and researchers and, together with its member universities, is committed to long-term support for Ukraine in academic exchange with Germany.
DAAD President Prof Dr. Joybrato Mukherjee said in Bonn:
"After two and a half years, we are returning to Kyiv - despite the ongoing Russian attacks. This is an important step for academic cooperation between Ukraine and Germany. We are once again offering Ukrainian students, researchers and universities a direct point of contact with advice and information services in the country. This underlines our unconditional will to continue to actively support Ukraine on its path to Europe,"
Kyiv Information Centre
The DAAD has had an office in Ukraine since 1998. Between February 2022 and September 2024, the office in Kyiv was closed and advice for academics, researchers and students was provided digitally from Bonn. In addition to providing on-site advice, the reopened Information Centre's tasks include promoting cooperation between Ukrainian and German universities and working with DAAD Lektors in Ukraine, who are currently working digitally. The information centre also maintains contact with the approximately 4,000 DAAD alumni in Ukraine.
Support for 20,000 Ukrainians
Since the Russian attack, the DAAD has launched several special programmes and expanded existing programmes to support Ukrainian academia. With financial support from the German government, the DAAD has been able to help around 20,000 Ukrainian students and researchers to start a degree programme or continue and complete their studies or research since 2022. Since February 2024, the DAAD has also been supporting the establishment of two centres for interdisciplinary Ukrainian studies in Germany at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt/Oder and at the University of Regensburg - also with financial support from the German government.
Academic relations with Ukraine have intensified since the outbreak of the war: the number of university collaborations has risen to over 300. In addition, almost 10,000 Ukrainian students are currently studying in Germany and around 1,300 Ukrainian academics are working at German universities.
Reconstruction of the university and science system
In June 2024, the DAAD presented proposals to support the reconstruction of the Ukrainian higher education and science system - including the concept of a "German-Ukrainian University Network" to bundle and systematically expand exchange and cooperation relations between Ukrainian and German universities.
"We are impressed by the great interest in our ideas. This interest also shows that politicians and academics are thinking intensively about effective long-term strategies to support the Ukrainian higher education system,"
said the DAAD President.
National Academic Contact Point Ukraine
Shortly after the Russian invasion, the DAAD set up the "National Academic Contact Point Ukraine". The platform brought together the wide range of information and support services offered by German universities and academic institutions for Ukrainian students and researchers. In addition, Ukrainian refugees were able to obtain personalised advice on academic career opportunities and qualifications. Information on studying and researching in Germany as well as additional advisory services can now be found on the Kyiv Information Centre website. The DAAD continues to advise its member universities and researchers on academic cooperation with Ukraine via the Competence Centre for International Academic Cooperation (KIWi).
