Fifteen managers of Ukrainian institutions met in person in January 2026 as part of the international project THEA Ukraine Lead. Participants underwent face-to-face training at the University of Applied Sciences in Münster (Germany), combining professional training with visits to institutions that shape higher education policy.

The THEA Ukraine Lead (Training for Higher Education Administrators and Leaders in Ukraine) continuing education programme aims to strengthen the resilience of Ukrainian universities to crises and prepare them for future reconstruction. It is aimed at senior and middle managers and focuses on the internationalisation of higher education and science management.

Participation of Olha Melnyk, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work and Student Affairs at Chernihiv Polytechnic National University, in such international events has important practical value. It allows her not only to familiarise herself with European approaches to the management and development of higher education, but also to adapt successful management models to the Ukrainian context. In addition, direct communication with foreign colleagues contributes to the expansion of professional networks, the establishment of partnerships, the exchange of experience and the formation of long-term international cooperation, which is critically important for the restoration and strategic development of Chernihiv Polytechnic National University.

The project combines training modules with consulting within the framework of individual organisational development projects. It was with such project ideas that participants applied to participate in the programme. Selection was based on the concepts submitted.

“The topics of the projects are very diverse, ranging from updating university internationalisation strategies to creating support services for researchers,” explains project manager Petra Pistor from Wandelwerk – Centre for Quality Development. To help participants put these ideas into practice, they are accompanied by mentors – graduates of previous THEA Ukraine programmes who are now passing on their own experience and knowledge.

THEA Ukraine Lead is already the third project in the THEA Ukraine series, each of which had its own thematic priorities.

In the photo: project manager Petra Pistor, project staff member Johanna Heinrich, Professor Dr Frank Siegele (Centre for University Development) and Dr Kai Handel (Hochschule Osnabrück).