Ties of friendship between universities
European universities will offer increasingly more scholarships to Ukrainian students and researchers, and there will be greater opportunities for cultural cooperation between EU member states and Ukraine. This is the message that EU Commissioner Jan Figel brought to Ukraine last week. On Nov. 10 and 11 he met with the Ukrainian president, the mayor of Kyiv, various Ukrainian officials, students, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations.
Figel says that the Orange Revolution has created a more fertile soil in Ukraine for cooperation in education and culture. Whereas last year European universities awarded 140 scholarships to Ukrainian students and researchers as part of the EU’s Erasmus Mundus program, this year 800 scholarships have already been awarded, and this figure is expected to increase tenfold within several years. “These kinds of programs are open to countries outside the EU, and I believe that Ukraine is a good example of cooperation,” Figel said. He admitted that Ukrainian-EU cultural projects are not developing actively enough, but Brussels is willing to pay more attention to this type of cooperation. Commenting on Kyiv’s plans to compete for the status of 2010 Cultural Capital of Europe, Figel recommended that Ukraine not just dream about this, but work toward that goal.
The EU began supporting reforms in Ukrainian education in the early 1990s by providing funds via the TACIS program. Launched last year, the Erasmus Mundus program has created additional opportunities for Ukrainian students and scholars to win scholarships or internships at European universities. Funded by the EU, this program opens the doors of Europe’s educational institutions to students and specialists outside the EU. According to Jan Figel, the EU does not aim to “import” bright minds with a view to becoming the most competitive economy in the world. “This is not the purpose of the Erasmus Mundus program. Unless we are active, we will become victims of the brain drain. We want to create conditions for the development of intellectual activity,” says Commissioner Figel.
This relatively new European program has generated wide interest. The number of applicants for grants is triple the number of available scholarships. Program participants from Ukraine have become very active, second only to Brazilians and Russians. Plans for the future include both participation by students and scholars and development of cooperation between Ukrainian and European universities.
