Strengthening Ukrainian Studies in Europe: the EUkraine Forum Consortium Publishes Its Final Recommendations

Since November 2024, the Erasmus+ cooperation partnership EUkraine Forum has brought together four universities committed to strengthening knowledge on Ukraine in Europe: Inalco University (France), the University of Warsaw (Poland), Charles University (Czech Republic) and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Ukraine). Over the course of the project, the partners have mapped existing Ukrainian Studies programmes across Europe, consulted researchers and stakeholders from different sectors, and organised a European conference in Warsaw on the future of the field. The mapping and conference report can be found here.

The publication of the Development Plan for Ukrainian Studies in Europe marks the final stage of this collective reflection and provides a roadmap for universities, governments and European institutions seeking to strengthen expertise on Ukraine.

A Strategic Need for Europe

One of the central findings of the project is that Ukraine's place in Europe has fundamentally changed. Russia's full-scale invasion and Ukraine's EU candidate status have transformed the country from a regional case study into a key partner in questions of enlargement, reconstruction, security and democratic resilience. Yet the academic structures dedicated to the study of Ukraine have not evolved at the same pace.

In many European countries, Ukrainian Studies remain under-institutionalised, fragmented and often dependent on temporary project funding. Existing expertise is concentrated in a limited number of centres, while many universities continue to address Ukraine only marginally within broader Slavic, Russian or East European Studies programmes. At the same time, policymakers, public administrations, media organisations and civil society actors increasingly require specialised knowledge on Ukraine and the wider region.

The report argues that responding to this demand requires more than creating new courses. It calls for a long-term vision capable of linking education, research, policy expertise and international cooperation.

From Emergency Responses to Sustainable Structures

A key message emerging from the project is that the future of Ukrainian Studies should not be built from scratch. Across Europe, several institutions have developed expertise on Ukraine over decades, particularly in the fields of language, history, literature and culture. These centres constitute an essential foundation for future growth and should be recognised as strategic hubs within a broader European ecosystem of expertise.

The recommendations therefore advocate a dual approach: preserving and strengthening existing Ukrainian Studies centres while encouraging the development of new multidisciplinary programmes capable of addressing contemporary political, economic, social and security challenges. Traditional humanities-based expertise and policy-oriented knowledge should be viewed as complementary rather than competing priorities.

Recommendations for Universities and Decision-Makers

The Development Plan is addressed to a broad range of actors: European institutions, national governments, research funding agencies, university leadership, accreditation bodies and strategic philanthropic organisations.

Four recommendations were identified:

1. strengthening institutional structures and ensuring long-term funding for Ukrainian Studies;
2. promoting area and multidisciplinary approaches that combine humanities, social sciences and policy-oriented fields;
3. improving the attractiveness and effectiveness of programmes through internships, fieldwork and innovative teaching methods;
4. ensuring sustainability through coordinated European, national and institutional strategies.

The recommendations published by the EUkraine Forum consortium go beyond the future of a single academic field. They raise a broader question about Europe's capacity to understand one of its closest partners through robust, independent and long-term knowledge production.

The full Development Plan for Ukrainian Studies in Europe and its Executive Summary are now available and provide concrete recommendations for institutions wishing to contribute to this shared European effort.