The Office of the President hosted a working meeting of the Board of the Fund of the President of Ukraine for the Support of Education, Science and Sports. The meeting was attended by Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Olena Kovalska, Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi, Adviser – Commissioner of the President on the Fund Olha Budnyk, Board members, and the operational team of the Fund of the President of Ukraine.
The participants learned about the results of the current Dual Degree Program between higher education institutions of Ukraine and the United Kingdom, which is being implemented as part of the Twinning initiative under the auspices of the Fund of the President. Dual Degree Programs are launched in ten higher education institutions, with 12 master's programs, including those in agriculture and food security, energy, engineering, information technology, psychology, culture and sustainable development. About 300 students have participated in and graduated from this program, and another 200 will be able to join it this year during the enrollment campaign.
The meeting participants also discussed proposals for key areas of educational and research programs for this year. In particular, they considered a program to attract foreign professors and lecturers to teach in Ukraine. It will open new opportunities for domestic higher educational institutions and allow them to invite the world's leading scientists and educators to give lectures, conduct joint research in Ukraine and develop international cooperation.
The implementation of the program will contribute to improving the position of Ukrainian universities in international rankings, which will strengthen their competitive advantages at the global level, and attract foreign students to study at Ukrainian higher education institutions. At the same time, Ukrainian students will be able to access knowledge from the world's best professors, which will help to develop highly qualified personnel and meet the highest academic standards.
In addition, at the meeting, a proposal was made to introduce a Presidential Award for Ukrainian Studies researchers around the world. This initiative aims to support scientists who study history, culture, and language, contributing to strengthening international support and the image of Ukraine, spreading true knowledge about Ukraine, and countering Russian propaganda in academic environments.
The meeting had a separate discussion on the areas of cooperation with talented Ukrainian youth. This should contribute to the professional development, personal growth and realization of the potential of young people in Ukraine. For this purpose, a study will be conducted on talent management in other countries of the world and proposals will be developed to formulate such a concept in Ukraine.