Research England funding enables º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ and Ukraine twinning work to continue

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded further funding to continue its work with Beketov National University in the Ukraine, as part of a twinning initiative to offer support to academics, students and university leaders during the conflict.

Today (29 March) marks one year of the Twin For Hope initiative, run by Universities UK International and supported by the Cormack Consultancy Group. It now has more than 100 twinning partnerships between universities in the UK and Ukraine. 

The landmark programme has enabled Ukrainian campuses to stay open, academics to continue vital teaching and research activities and most importantly, students have been given a lifeline to continue their studies. 

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is one of 33 UK universities to receive additional funding through the UK-Ukraine Research and Innovation twinning grants scheme – provided by UKRI’s Research England – to enable twins to further their research and innovation collaborations. 

Its twinning project – ‘Digital solutions to maximise readiness for post-war reconstruction of the built environment’ will be led by Professor Tarek Hassan from the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering. 

The project will leverage the power of digital modelling and information management to aid the planning and delivery of post-war reconstruction, drawing on the expertise of academics from º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ and Beketov National University. 

The collaboration will produce a feasibility study and roadmap for implementation that will underpin material-efficient, cost- and time-effective approaches to rebuild Kharkiv, the home of Beketov. 

Speaking about the collaboration, Professor Tarek Hassan said: “I am delighted to extend our on-going support to our colleagues at Beketov University during this difficult time by working with them to develop plans for the post-war reconstruction of their home city of Kharkiv, one of the cities which has been significantly affected by the conflict. 

The extra funding of more than £100K, awarded through the twinning initiative, will enable the embedding of digital solutions in these plans for building modelling, micro mobility planning and the latest construction technologies, such as 3D Concrete Printing. 

Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Executive Chair of Research England, said: “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 UK 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.” 

The º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ project starts on 1 April and runs until 31August 2023.

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: PR 23/47

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2023 QS World University Rankings – the seventh year running – and University of the Year for Sport by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is ranked 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2023, 10th in the Guardian University League Table 2023 and 11th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 over 90% of its research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’.

In recognition of its contribution to the sector, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

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