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Today marks a monumental occasion as we reflect on and celebrate the incredible achievements of the twinning partnerships over the past year. It’s amazing to see the bonds that Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û and Ukrainian institutions have made with each other through the scheme. These vital relationships have helped to strengthen ties between our two systems and highlights the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û’s continued support for Ukraine through the current conflict.

With thanks to funding from Research England, we are delighted to announce that 33 partnerships will receive grants to develop research and innovation activities that will further strengthen the scope and impact of the twinning scheme

The twinning initiative provided Research England with a unique opportunity to support Ukraine researchers on the ground and we are delighted with the impact it is having on the lives of those working and studying during this exceptionally stressful time. We are thrilled this funding has provided support to a further 33 Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û twinning partnerships.

By supporting Ukraine's researchers through this twining scheme, we enable them to continue their work helping to secure meaningful and long-lasting collaborations in the years ahead.

Twinning partnerships, such as the one we have here at Sheffield with Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, are about not creating a brain drain from either university. Their focus is to help academics and students at the partner universities continue their research and their studies. The air raid shelters we helped to fund and rebuild from Sheffield are a good example of this - they provide safe spaces on campus, if needed, which enable students to carry on studying.

The twinning partnerships are also very different from charity. They’re not focused on raising and giving money, they’re about having conversations with people at the partner institution to understand the problems they are facing and developing practical solutions together, drawing on each other’s strengths and expertise. At Sheffield, we feel this has worked well and we’re looking forward to working with KPI further.

It is about being mindful not just about what practical help we can provide now but what we can do in the months and years ahead to build social and economic resilience in Ukraine after the war. Whether that be in marine engineering or mental health support, Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û universities can play an important role in helping Ukrainian Universities to make their own vital contribution to the future of Ukraine, and it has been a privilege for us in Plymouth to be a part of that.