Mission Statement

The Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies Frankfurt (Oder) – Berlin (KIU) is a project funded by the DAAD for a period of four years to strengthen Ukraine-related research, teaching, networking and transfer activities. Initiated and managed by the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), the competence network includes the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), the Humboldt University of Berlin, the Free University of Berlin, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Wissenschaftskolleg Berlin, as well as many partner institutions from Ukraine and other European countries.

The aim of the KIU project is to establish a vibrant platform for research, teaching and transfer activities, located at European University Viadrina, based on the core partner institutions in the capital region, and spanning a world-wide network of Ukrainian affairs between the international scientific community and actors and organizations from politics, civil society, business, media and culture.

KIU will realize its aims in three dimensions.

In the first dimension – research – three interdisciplinary research groups on (1) history & culture, (2) state & society, and (3) conflict will work on research projects, publications and conferences to foster exchange and knowledge production on Ukraine-related questions and phenomena in history and present. The research pillar includes two fellowship programs to foster international scientific exchange and excellent research. A structured PhD program starting in April 2025 will give nine international PhD students the opportunity to engage in excellent and innovative research on Ukraine.

In the second dimension – teaching – we are launching a curated Ukraine course catalogue covering all three universities from the Competence Networks. This course catalogue will be transferred into a certificate program Ukrainian Studies for MA students. In three modules that correspond to the foci of our research groups, students from any disciplines will be given the opportunity to acquire and deepen specific knowledge about Ukraine, Ukrainian language skills and to apply their knowledge in an internship relevant to Ukraine. We strengthen Ukraine-related teaching activities with our guest professorship program to invite particularly committed professors to the Viadrina to enrich our Ukraine teaching program here for a semester. Further, skilled and interested MA students will be offered a one-month residential fellowship for writing their Ukraine-related MA theses.

The third dimension – transfer – covers our ambitious ideas and plans to reach out and intertwine in discourse with a broader audience and to offer dialogue with society, media, public administrations, politicians, artists and other audiences. Dialogue and close cooperation with Ukrainian partners even beyond the borders of academic teaching such as training and exchange will be given a particular emphasis in this realm. We see it as our responsibility to enter into a public discourse and to increase knowledge and interest in Ukraine in order to strengthen empathy and understanding, to accompany the reconstruction of Ukraine and its path of European integration, and thus contribute to a united, peaceful Europe.

Together with our strong network and in particular, with our excellent and long-standing Ukrainian partners, we will build a vigorous and inspiring realm for discussing, investigating and learning about Ukraine, its entanglements and European and Global interrelations, with the European University Viadrina as the reference center for Ukrainian Studies in Germany and Europe.