Bond between Edge Hill University and Ukraine fostered by grant award

Work to strengthen ties between Edge Hill University and Ukraine has been boosted by a £100,000 grant.

Universities UK has awarded the grant to Edge Hill as the next phase of its Twin for Hope campaign begins with an event at the House of Lords.

The cash injection will be used for a variety of activities to foster co-operative working between Edge Hill and Yaroslav Mudryi National University of Law, which have been twinned since the campaign started in 2022.

Professor George Talbot, Pro Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for Research, said: “It is absolutely critical that we do all we can to continue to help our Ukrainian colleagues, and this grant funding will be key in forging closer bonds between the two institutions.

“Edge Hill University is proud to play its part in the global response to support Ukrainian universities. Strengthening our partnership with Yaroslav Mudryi National University of Law will help the university emerge stronger.”

Since the initiative was announced, Edge Hill has founded a new International Justice and Human Rights Centre which launched with an event featuring a keynote speech by Professor Oksana Senatorova from YMNLU.

Now Ukrainian early career scholars will be able to benefit from a summer school at Edge Hill with a focus on international humanitarian law, while the University will also employ a displaced academic from YMNLU as a Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr Olena Chub.

Dr Chub will have a brief to nurture the relationship between the two universities, helping plan joint activities from September 2023, and applying for further funds to facilitate their successful development.

Funds will also be used to initiate a managed and sustainable process of staff mobility, as well as developing a shared research agenda on international justice and human rights which will generate open-access publications and lead directly to public engagement and influence on policy making in government circles.

Meanwhile, work continues on development of a dual-award Masters programme concerning cyber space regulation which pre-dates the twinning initiative.

YMNLU academics with expertise in international, human rights, humanitarian and constitutional law will also be invited to Edge Hill as visiting fellows, being involved in research and policy exchange work.