Rectors of higher education institutions from Ukraine and Austria discussed the prospects for cooperation in the field of higher education. Rector Igor Tsependa of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University chaired one of the working groups on the topic “The Role of Higher Education Institutions in the Reconstruction of Ukraine” during this event held on April 16 in Uzhhorod.
At the high-level meeting organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the ERASMUS+ International Cooperation Programme of the European Union with other countries in the fields of education, youth, and sports, and the Austrian Agency for Education and Internationalization (OeAD), representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research of the Republic of Austria participated. These included Deputy Minister of Education of Ukraine Mykhailo Vynnytskyi, Executive Director of the Austrian Agency for Education and Internationalization Jakob Calice, Head of the Department of International Cooperation in Higher Education at OeAD Gerhard Volz, Head of the Department of University and Higher Education Colleges Cooperation at the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research of the Republic of Austria Elmar Pichl, Director of the National ERASMUS+ Office in Ukraine Svitlana Shytikova, and Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Ukraine Arad Benkö.
Representatives from Ukrainian higher education institutions included rectors and vice-rectors from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Odessa National Medical University, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Mariupol State University, Dnipro University of Technology, Zaporizhzhia National University, Bohdan Khmelnytsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Uzhhorod National University, and Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University.
From the Austrian side, rectors and vice-rectors from the University of Continuing Education, Medical University of Vienna, Pedagogical College of the University of Barbara Herzog-Punzenberger in Vienna, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Beatrix Karl University, University of Klagenfurt, MCI Innsbruck School of Entrepreneurship, and University of Applied Sciences participated in the meeting.
Opening the meeting, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Mykhailo Vynnytskyi emphasized: “Austria’s image is very positive as a country that is our friend and ready to help if needed. We would like to start new pages of cooperation, which will be bilateral and developed directly between universities. I sincerely hope that this meeting will yield fruitful results – including joint internship projects, cooperation between universities, and double degree programs.