On February 13, 2026, Uzhhorod National University hosted a winter school for professional development entitled “Internationalization of Higher Education.”
After several opening remarks, the work of the school was launched by a one-hour presentation by the co-founder of the Ukrainian Science Diaspora initiative, Ihor Lyman, titled “Science Diplomacy in the Context of Internationalization.”
The co-founder of the Ukrainian Science Diaspora initiative, Yevheniia Polishchuk, delivered a presentation titled “Diaspora Instruments for the Internationalization of Higher Education”, dedicated to the role of the Ukrainian science diaspora in the development of academic cooperation and the reconstruction of Ukraine.
During the training, participants discussed a modern vision of the Ukrainian science diaspora — not as a community of “those who left,” but as a network of partnerships, open opportunities, and trust between Ukrainian universities and international academic environments. It was emphasized that representatives of the diaspora act as science diplomats and ambassadors of Ukraine worldwide, facilitating the integration of Ukrainian science into the global space.
Special attention was paid to the structure of the Ukrainian Science Diaspora network, which operates on an individual level and through cooperation with diaspora scientific organizations. Currently, the community includes representatives from many countries, including Germany, Poland, the United States, Great Britain, Switzerland, and others.
Participants were presented with the results of the initiative’s mentoring program. Thanks to collaboration between mentors and mentees, in 2025 articles were published in journals indexed in Scopus, international grants and scholarships were obtained, inter-university partnerships were initiated, and joint educational and research projects were implemented. The next cycle of the program is planned with a focus on economic sciences and the formation of new mentor–mentee pairs.
As part of the event, a hub of diaspora tools was also presented, which includes partner search for projects, dissemination of grant opportunities, analytical support, and the formation of a pool of experts for the reconstruction of Ukraine. According to the research findings, the majority of diaspora representatives express readiness to engage in the country’s recovery projects; however, they require effective mechanisms of interaction with Ukrainian institutions.
The practical part of the event was dedicated to discussing the needs of Ukrainian scientists, barriers to cooperation, and possible formats of partnership between universities and the diaspora. Participants received a take-home assignment — to map the diaspora ecosystem of their universities and compile a contact database of Ukrainian scientists abroad.
The event became another step toward the development of systematic cooperation between Ukrainian academic institutions and the global academic community, demonstrating the potential of the diaspora as a strategic partner for the internationalization of education and science in Ukraine.