Ukraine and Austria Adopt a Five-Year Agreement on Cooperation in the Fields of Education, Science, and Culture

Building on years of collaboration, the Government of Ukraine and the Republic of Austria have approved the Agreement on Cooperation in the Fields of Education, Science, and Culture for the years 2025-2030.

The Program was signed by Vasyl Khymynets, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Austria, and Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Director General of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.

The signing of the document was part of a two-day working visit of the Ukrainian delegation led by Yevhen Kudriavets, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine. The delegation included Halyna Hryhorenko, First Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, representatives of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Austria, the State Archival Service of Ukraine, the State Agency of Ukraine on Arts and Art Education, and others.

"Education and science cannot exist in a vacuum—their development is only possible through interaction. The approval of this Agreement will support this through the exchange of expertise at all levels of education, as well as in areas such as: information technology, STEM, inclusion, media literacy, addressing teacher shortages, and adult education. Importantly, the Agreement will also foster the expansion of scientific and technical cooperation, as more than 30 higher education institutions in Ukraine are already collaborating with Austrian partners," said Yevhen Kudriavets.

The key goal of the Agreement is to strengthen bilateral cooperation and enhance the processes of European integration. In the fields of education and science, the Agreement will contribute to:

• Direct collaboration between higher education institutions, including the creation of joint (dual) Master's and Doctoral programs;
• Implementation of Ukrainian studies programs in Austrian higher education institutions;
• Expanded collaboration within EU programs (Erasmus+, Horizon Europe) and the European Higher Education Area;
• Joint educational initiatives to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and combat anti-Semitism;
• Continued scientific and technical cooperation, particularly between the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and other institutions;
• Exchange of experience and expertise at all levels of education, as well as fostering cooperation between educational institutions and involving experts.

It is significant that the program will also promote the implementation of Ukrainian Studies programs in Austrian higher education institutions, particularly within the framework of the Global Ukrainian Studies Coalition initiated by First Lady Olena Zelenska. The Ukrainian side will provide expert academic support for the development and dissemination of Ukrainian Studies in Austria.

To facilitate this process, the Ukrainian delegation met with Sebastian Schütze, the rector of one of Europe’s largest universities— the University of Vienna—during the visit. The meeting discussed the possibility of the university joining the Coalition to enable its students to study and research Ukrainian Studies disciplines. This will be a crucial step in enhancing Ukraine's global presence and spreading accurate knowledge about the country.

Additionally, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MoES) met with the leaders of the Ukrainian Saturday School in Vienna, visited the boarding school "Free People School," and engaged with educators temporarily residing in Austria. The focus was on preserving the national identity of Ukrainian students temporarily living in Austria. MoES emphasized this priority during discussions with Austrian government representatives. To support this effort, partners plan to introduce Ukrainian language assistants under the Federal Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture of Austria.

During the visit, a series of diplomatic meetings were held, including a significant one with Barbara Weitgruber, Director General of the Directorate for International Relations and Scientific Research, Gender Equality, and Diversity Management. During this meeting, the Ukrainian delegation had the opportunity to discuss joint actions concerning Ukraine's EU integration process. The Austrian side expressed its readiness to continue providing active support in this process.

Meetings were also held with representatives of international organizations, including Rita Almeida, General Manager of Global Education Practice at the World Bank, to discuss expanding the World Bank's programs to support Ukrainian education, and Jana Barinova, Manager of European Policies and Ukrainian Affairs at the ERSTE Foundation, to explore the launch of joint programs.

Such diplomatic meetings are vital for advocating the needs of Ukraine's education system. They lay the foundation for long-term cooperation and the implementation of large-scale initiatives with tangible results for Ukrainian students and teachers.

We sincerely thank the Government of Austria for continuing collaboration and strengthening the partnership with Ukraine!