The University Of Sheffield has continued to develop its partnership with the National Technical University of Ukraine Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI). The two universities became partners in August 2022 as part of the 'twinning' initiative led by Universities UK International.
As part of the partnership with KPI, the University has donated £20,000 to help to rebuild air raid shelters at KPI’s campus in Kyiv. The University of Sheffield is also donating key IT and laboratory equipment to help KPI maintain teaching and research in Kyiv, including high performance computers. It is also sharing its library facilities, so that students and staff at KPI can access a vast range of online journals, texts and resources to support their studies.
The donations are in addition to initiatives to further research and teaching collaboration – particularly in engineering and nuclear research. The University of Sheffield’s English Language Teaching Centre is also helping staff and students at KPI learn English – a key language for international research and collaboration – and Sheffield Students’ Union is supporting KPI’s Students’ Union.
As part of the partnership, KPI has shared a video (above) from its campus that explains the air raid shelters and how the University has continued despite the ongoing Russian invasion.
KPI is one of the largest and oldest universities in Ukraine, internationally renowned for engineering teaching and research and one of only four Ukrainian universities to be listed in the prestigious QS World University ranking. However, the Russian invasion has had a huge impact on the university, its staff and students, and its day-to-day operations.
In the first days of the invasion, fighting took place close to the university campus and the recent shelling of Kyiv has affected KPI students and staff. Large numbers of KPI students have joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine and volunteers of territorial defence units. The conflict has resulted in the death of several polytechnic students and many students, teachers and employees of KPI have been left without their own homes.
In December, Professor Michael Zgurovsky, the Rector of KPI met with the University of Sheffield’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Koen Lamberts. Professor Lamberts confirmed the University’s support for KPI as the partnership between the two universities progresses.
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