Scientific and technical cooperation between Ukraine and Switzerland

Scientific and technical cooperation between Ukraine and Switzerland

The legal basis of bilateral cooperation in the field of science and education is:

- Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Swiss Confederation on technical and financial cooperation (signed on October 13, 1997, entered into force on June 9, 1999);

- Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Federal Council of the Swiss Confederation on the exchange of trainees (signed on 28.11.03; ratified by Ukraine: 16.09.2008, entered into force for Ukraine: 27.10.2008).

Bilateral cooperation in the field of science has significant potential.

In 2016, Ukraine became an associate member of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), whose headquarters are in Geneva. The specified status allows our country to participate in all forms of scientific cooperation, which are possible for full members, and requires our country to provide the necessary funding. The agreement between Ukraine and CERN was signed on October 3, 2013 in Geneva and ratified by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on September 2, 2014.

In 2017, the University of Basel launched the initiative "Ukrainian Research in Switzerland - URIS", which is implemented with the financial support of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation of Switzerland. The goal of the initiative is the development of Ukrainian studies in Switzerland, encouragement and support of young scientists, and assistance in building a network of university research on Ukraine. As part of the initiative, competitions are held once a year to receive two "URIS-Fellowship" grants for scientists with a scientific degree in the fields of humanities and social sciences and cultural studies.

As part of cooperation with URIS, in January 2020, Ukrainian historians took part in a scientific conference at the University of Basel dedicated to the history of Ukrainian-Swiss relations.

In November 2019, the Embassy together with the University of Freiburg implemented another project with the participation of Ukrainian and Swiss scientists - a podium discussion "Ukrainian-Swiss relations: history and modernity" and an exhibition "100 years of diplomacy: Ukrainian-Swiss contacts in the era (post) empires".

In February 2021, under the conditions of pandemic restrictions, the Embassy in cooperation with the Ukrainian Society in Switzerland held an online conference "Lesia Ukrainka through the ages: culture, era and personality", organized on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the poet's birth. The event was attended by Ukrainian scientists and artists - literary critics Tamara Gundorova and Bohdan Tokarskyi, Natalka Bilotserkivets and writer Oles Ilchenko.

An important basis for scientific cooperation between Ukraine and Switzerland was the Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2020 between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation, which provides for the establishment of cooperation in the field of science diplomacy (Science Diplomacy). The first project in this direction was the cooperation between the Federal Higher Technical School of Zurich (ETH Zürich) and the Ukrainian State Enterprise "Novator" to create a low-cost ventilator in Ukraine to overcome the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A feature of Ukrainian-Swiss cooperation in the field of science and education is direct contact between scientific and educational institutions.

With the support of the Embassy, Ukrainian universities are developing cooperation with Swiss universities. Within the framework of interregional contacts between the Transcarpathian region and Canton Freiburg, there is interaction between the Uzhgorod National University and the Freiburg University, in particular, the Ukrainian-Swiss educational initiative of the NESTU association on the development of inclusive education in Ukraine has been implemented.

Within the framework of the "Youth will change Ukraine" program, which is financed by the B. Havrylyshyn Charitable Foundation, regular internship trips to Switzerland are organized for groups of Ukrainian students. Internships of young Ukrainian specialists are also carried out within the framework of cooperation between the Europa Institute center at the University of Zurich (EIZ) and the Odesa Law Academy.

In 2018, agreements on the terms of cooperation and joint recognition of diplomas were signed between the private educational institution Geneva Business School and two Ukrainian universities - Kyiv National University named after T. Shevchenko and Kharkiv National University named after V. Karazina.

With the organizational support of the Embassy, the exchange of experience in the field of IT technologies continues. In March 2019, the Ukrainian delegation from the Department of Information and Communication Technologies of the KMDA took part in the Smart City Schweiz forum in Basel, where they held negotiations on cooperation within the framework of the Swiss Smart City Hub project. In early October 2019, the Swiss delegation took part in the Kyiv Smart City Forum 2019 international forum.

The Embassy also interacts with Swiss educational institutions in the form of organizing guest lectures by the Ambassador of Ukraine for students, in particular, universities of Lausanne and Friborg, Geneva Business School, etc.

Ukrainian-Swiss educational projects are implemented within the framework of Swiss technical assistance.

As part of the bilateral agreement on technical cooperation signed in 1997, the Swiss Cooperation Bureau in Ukraine was opened in Kyiv, which plays a key role in the management of the Swiss cooperation program in Ukraine and is responsible for the planning and implementation of relevant projects. In 2014, a memorandum was signed between the Ministry of Education and Culture of Ukraine, the Swiss Cooperation Bureau in Ukraine and the Representative Office of Geberit International Sales AG in Ukraine on cooperation within the framework of the educational project "Public-private partnership to improve sanitary and technical education in Ukraine". Within the framework of this project, in 2016, in the city of Sarny, Rivne region, Ukraine's first Training and Practice Center (PTC) of sanitary and technical education based on European technologies was opened at the Higher Vocational School No. 22 (VPU-22). Today, such centers have also been established in Kyiv, Rivne, Chernihiv, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa regions.

The Ukrainian-Swiss educational project "Development of civic competences in Ukraine" is implemented by the Zurich Pedagogical University, the Institute of International Educational Projects (IPE) and the National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine on the basis of the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Swiss Confederation on technical and financial cooperation. The pilot initiative of the Council of Europe regarding the implementation of the Charter of Education for Democratic Citizenship and Education for Human Rights is aimed at involving state administration bodies, directors and teachers of educational institutions in the development of a democratic society.

In 2018, the Ukrainian-Swiss project "Development of medical education in Ukraine" started, which will last until the end of 2022. The project is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented by the Swiss Institute of Tropical and Public Health. The main partners of the project are the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Institute of Nursing Sciences (Basel, Switzerland), Maastricht University (Netherlands) and the School of Health Care of the National University "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy".

In 2023, the Bern University of Applied Sciences developed a practical course aimed at Ukrainian women to obtain the necessary qualifications for the construction sector and Ukrainians living in Switzerland for a certain period of time. The training lasted from February to June 2023. The program will allow citizens of Ukraine who fled the atrocities of Russian aggression to gain advanced knowledge and modern practical skills to contribute to the future recovery and reconstruction of their native country. The next course will start in October 2023.

As part of the national multi-subject testing 2023 (NMT), the University of Bern will create conditions for Ukrainian graduates to conduct testing.