Strengthening Ukraine’s science and engineering base

Cardiff University is scaling up its support for Zaphorizhzhia National Polytechnic University (ZNPU) in Ukraine and will help the institution - and country - strengthen its science and engineering base thanks to new funding.

Awarded £164,000 by Universities UK international’s (UUKi) Ukraine R&I twinning grants scheme, the funding will help support partnerships between academics and students at both universities, build research and innovation collaboration, and help rebuild Ukraine’s economy.

The new funding boosts an existing twinning partnership between the two universities, which has seen Cardiff support library provision for ZNPU, deliver outreach activities for Ukrainian children including a ‘Night of Science’ event, and provide essential IT equipment to ZNPU to help it move to online learning because of heavy shelling in the area.

Four key activities will support ZNPU over the coming months

• Academics from ZNPU will visit Cardiff as part of an education and research collaboration focusing on material science, AI and robotics (including drone-based data capture), electrical machines and energy systems, and data science, particularly analysis of real time data
• An AI, Robotics and Data Science summer school for undergraduate/ postgraduate students at ZNPU will be held at Cardiff, which will include an English language course and give students the chance to meet other international students at the University and join cultural and social events
• Funding for software licences to support teaching and research at ZNPU and build on activity related to academics and students’ visits to Cardiff
• Delivery of intensive English language programmes by Cardiff University staff to academic staff and students at ZNPU, aiming to support collaboration beyond Ukraine, to build new networks and open the possibility to publish in a wider range of academic publications

Professor Omer Rana, Dean of International for Physical Sciences & Engineering and the technical lead for the new project said: “We are pleased to receive the award from Universities UK international’s (UUKi) Ukraine R&I twinning grants scheme, allowing us to build on the existing partnership between Cardiff University and Zaphorizhzhia National Polytechnic University.

“Both universities have complimenting research strengths in AI, robotics and data science, and this award will help facilitate collaborative research and innovation in these key areas.”

The new project is already underway and will run until the end of August.

Universities UK (UUK) has been awarded the funding by Research England, on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).