In response to the situation of extreme
vulnerability of the Ukrainian university community and in collaboration with
CRUE Spanish Universities, SEPIE, the Ministry for Universities, and the
European University Association (EUA), among other entities, CEU San Pablo
University has launched the Forward Ukraine programme, aimed at providing support
from different angles.
In the area of the internal legal framework,
for example, on 6 April last, the Standing Committee of the Governing Council
approved a "PROTOCOL FOR ADMISSION, EMPLOYABILITY AND ACCOMMODATION AT THE
UNIVERSITY SAN PABLO-CEU FOR REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS: Students/PDI/PAS"
with the aim of helping the university community in situations of extreme
vulnerability to exercise their right of access to higher education and develop
their scientific potential as university teachers or researchers (PDI) or carry
out their work as university administrative or service staff (PAS), while they
are in our country.
Plans have also been implemented to promote the
employability of Ukrainian students, such as free enrolment for students from
the Ukrainian university community in the University Extension-Erasmus Accede
Certificate for the Promotion of Employability by the CEU San Pablo University
(2 ECTS), which provides 20 hours of online training (available in Spanish and
English) with (optional) access to the employment and internship portal. In
non-regulated training for students, access has been facilitated for Ukrainian
students to the Summer/Winter University and to the University's own degree in
Values and Leadership in the Digital Age, and in language training for
students, teaching and research staff and administrative and service staff,
access has been provided to language courses (Spanish and English) in online or
face-to-face mode for students, teaching and research staff and Ukrainian
administrative and service staff. In addition, language learning material will
be provided by opening a line of funding through the specific adaptation of the
Erasmus+ K107 Programme.
A separately funded programme has also been
drawn up for three-year post-doctoral contracts aimed at enabling up to three
Ukrainian PhD researchers to join USP-CEU Recognised Research Groups (GIR) with
EXCELLENT or CONSOLIDATED status. Access has also been facilitated for
Ukrainian students to the university's social activities (Campus Life, Sports,
Pastoral, etc.), and for the entire university community (students, PDI,
Ukrainian PAS) to the University Counselling Service (SOU) for psychological
care and counselling and emotional well-being of the university community.
Various academic conferences have also been
organised: on 6 April, the conference "Responses to a Ukraine at War"
was held in the Law Faculty Auditorium; today, 21 April, a conference on
disinformation and censorship in the Ukrainian War will be held in the Moncloa
Campus Auditorium; on 25 April, a commercial and bankruptcy charity conference
will also be held in the Auditorium, the proceeds of which will go to the
Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR), which has already managed the
reception of hundreds of Ukrainian refugees. As a sign of solidarity, the
Ukrainian flag has also been included next to the flags of the Montepríncipe
campus.