The purpose of the initiative is to build on the successful project from 2024, which aimed to show not only academia, but also active citizens, NGOs and representatives of public administration in Ukraine the way to plan the development and renewal of cities and towns in the conditions of post-war reconstruction, transforming economy and limited resources - and at the same time be able to provide education and competence development of students and teachers within the framework of socially responsible science and teaching.
The initial partner of the project is the O. M. Beketov National University of Urban Economics in Kharkiv. The newly added to the programme are also the National University of Polis in Zhytomyr, Lviv National Polytechnic and Mykolaiv National Agricultural University. Other universities outside the official framework are also interested in participating. Building on the positive experience, teaching and scientific cooperation will be developed not only in conjunction with CTU, but also with universities in Germany, Poland and Austria. The expertise of teachers from the University of Economics and Technology in Pristina (UBT), who share experience in urban regeneration after the conflict in Kosovo, will also be an important asset.
The main ambition of this year's phase is to create an international research consortium capable of jointly addressing projects aimed at reconstruction of war-damaged Ukrainian cities. Other CTU faculties, including Faculty of Architecture, will join in the activities, and internships will be provided for Ukrainian academics at various university departments.
The preparatory part of the project runs from April to June and focuses on building contacts and finding suitable partners for interested universities. This will culminate in an online meeting of all participating institutions on 18 June. The selection of academics for fellowships in the Czech Republic and other activities is currently underway at Ukrainian universities. In the follow-up phase, Czech academics will travel to Zhytomyr and Lviv, while their Ukrainian colleagues will come to Prague for internships in the autumn. A key moment will be the workshop of the emerging research consortium, which will take place on 16-17 October at the Masaryk Institute of Advanced Studies of the CTU in Prague.
The project shows that even in difficult circumstances, strong international cooperation can emerge that is professional, friendly and focused on real help.
Photo: Zhytomyr school damaged by bombing