The University has partnered on several large projects focusing on quality assurance and university governance. It has also led on EU-funded projects to reform the teaching of journalism in Ukrainian universities and to develop the use of immersive technology in the teaching of art and design.
The University has also hosted many visits from Ukrainian colleagues and Bath Spa University staff have been frequent visitors to Ukraine.
In June 2022, BSU twinned with the Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities (IUEH) in Rivne, as part of UUK’s 'Twin for Hope' initiative.
The two universities have held online lectures, training, and solidarity events, and secured funding from Research England and UKRI to strengthen IUEH’s research and innovation capacity through joint papers and publications, BSU-led leadership and resilience training, and the purchase of equipment to support IUEH’s Museum of Peace.
Bath Spa University stands in solidarity with Ukraine and we are delighted to partner with IUEH in this way, to provide support, and to strengthen ties of friendship and cooperation through the development of academic, cultural and personal exchange.
David Newman, University Secretary, Bath Spa University
We're honoured to see our long-running partnership with Ukraine recognised with a coveted shortlisting for ‘International Collaboration of the Year’ at the THE Awards 2024.
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In June 2024, we welcomed five members of staff from the Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities (IUEH).
One of the trip’s highlights was a reception with the Mayor of Bath, which provided an opportunity to connect Bath with another Ukrainian city, Rivne, and to bring together some of those in Bath who have been actively involved in supporting Ukraine during the past two years.
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In July 2024, Bath Spa University awarded an honorary degree to Dr Konstantin Kyrychenko, Head of the International Affairs Department at Sumy State University, in recognition of his many collaborations with Bath Spa University since 2013.
We were honoured to welcome our friends from IUEH to Bath. We have been working with them for several years but this was the first time they were able to visit us here. It was an invaluable opportunity to introduce our University, to discuss our ongoing collaborations in education, humanities, and business, and to affirm our support and solidarity for them and the people of Ukraine.
Professor Ian Gadd, Head of Development for European Projects, Bath Spa University
This project, led by Bath Spa University, responds to the Cluster 2-Destination 2's Strategic Orientations document by bringing together researchers from three Ukrainian universities to assess the material and economic impact of the Russian invasion on Ukraine’s cultural heritage and the creative industries.
The partners, Kyiv School of Economics, International University of Economics and Humanities, Rivne, and Chernivtsi National University, will draft three interrelated desk studies to be circulated among the teams and discussed at a 2-day workshop, hosted by SWPS University in Warsaw, which will directly contribute to the preparation of a potential Horizon Europe bid that will consider the resilience of cultural heritage and the creative industries.
The project will also build a consortium of universities and NGOs from Ukraine, UK, and EU along with partners from South Africa and Iraq to support the development of this potential bid; as they join, these partners will be able to contribute to project discussions, the workshop in Poland, and bid-writing.
The report, Assessing the Impact of the Russian Invasion on Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage and Creative Industries, from the project was published on 15 September 2025.
This collaboration between the International University of Economics and Humanities (IUEH) in Ukraine and Bath Spa University took inspiration from IUEH’s ‘Museum of Peace’, established in 1999 to teach young people the value of peace and tolerance.
Through multiple online meetings and a two-day in-person workshop in Poland for 19 staff, the project strengthened IUEH’s research and innovation capacity by:
Journalism Education for Democracy in Ukraine: Developing Standards, Integrity and Professionalism.
Bath Spa University was the lead coordinator on this project, managing the €798k budget, working with 19 partners across Ukraine, Poland, Ireland, Austria and Netherlands, to deliver the four year project.
International Credit Mobility.
BSU was the lead coordinator for this Erasmus+ funded staff mobility programme between Bath Spa University and Sumy State University, Ukraine, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Ukraine, University of Malawi and University of Namibia. Taking place over three years, the project enabled 72 staff to undertake training, staff development and exchange good practice.
Accessible immersive learning for art and design.
BSU was the lead coordinator for this €298k project, working with partners across Ukraine, UK, Ireland and Poland to improve the teaching of art and design at higher education in a post-pandemic Europe through the development of innovative methodologies, tools, platforms and resources for accessible immersive learning.
BSU was the lead coordinator for this Erasmus+ funded staff mobility programme between Bath Spa University and Sumy State University, Ukraine. Nine mobilities successfully took place over two years, 2018–2019, in the fields of Business and International Relations. Unfortunately the programme was cut short due to Covid 19.
BSU was the lead coordinator for this Erasmus+ funded 16-month staff mobility programme between Bath Spa University and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine. 30 one-week mobilities took place in a number of flows between October 2017 and July 2018, with 18 staff from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (TSNUK) visiting Bath Spa University (BSU) and 12 BSU staff visiting TSNUK. The mobilities focused on 6 Key Priorities (KP) for learning, development and cooperation, approved and supported by the leaders of our universities.
We are pleased that this project was flagged as ‘Best Practice’ by Erasmus+.
BSU was the lead coordinator for this Erasmus+ funded staff mobility programme between Bath Spa University, Sumy State University and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine. The project took place in a number of mobility flows over an 18-month period during 2016–2017, with 24 mobilities taking place. The principal aim of the project was to help develop mutually beneficial and sustainable partnerships between staff at BSU and the Ukrainian universities in accordance with each university’s strategic plan. The project also facilitated a 4-month mobility for a PhD student from TSNUK to BSU within the field of creative computing.
Ukraine Higher Education Leadership Development Programme – Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University.
BSU was the lead coordinator for this British Council funded staff Development programme on fostering university professors' readiness for providing research-based education, with a team of senior staff visiting Bath in 2016.
Achieving and checking the alignment between academic programmes and qualification frameworks.
The wider objective of the project was to enhance the intelligibility, consistency and transferability of qualifications through establishment of mechanisms for HEIs to achieve alignment of academic programmes with NQFs and for QA agencies to check such alignment. The project was a collaboration with Armenia, Ukraine and Russia, and was led by Yerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences.
During an event to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities (IUEH) in Rivne, Ukraine, Professor Ian Gadd, our Academic Director for GALA and Head of Development for European Projects, was surprised with with a special distinction.
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As part of a twinning partnership launched in 2022, BSU and the IUEH announced the start of a joint project called I Vote for Peace: Collaboration and Compassion in a Time of War.
The ethos of education, solidarity, and compassion underpins both the project and the long-term ambitions of the collaboration.
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Bath Spa University has twinned with Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities (IUEH) as part of a scheme to help the western Ukrainian university continue to survive, and thrive, beyond the conflict the country is facing.
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Professor Inna Pomorina, Professor Lu Liu and Postgraduate Coordinator Sean Cameron, visited Sumy State University as part of the joint Erasmus+ KA107 project.
The agenda included meetings with the management team, teaching and research staff from the Oleg Balatskyi Academic and Research Institute of Finance, Economics and Management, as well as Academic and Research Institute of Business Technologies UAB.
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Over the last decade, we've partnered with 10 Ukrainian universities in nine different cities:
Academician Stepan Demianchuk International University of Economics and Humanities
Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University
Ivan Franko National University of Lviv
Zaporizhzhia National University
Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy
Taras Shvenchenko National University of Kviv
We're proud to be a supporter of Friends of Oleksandriya, a charitable association that promotes friendship between Bath and North East Somerset and Oleksandriya and the surrounding villages in Ukraine.
If you represent an international institution or organisation and wish to discuss the possibility of developing a collaborative bid for international funding, we'd love to hear from you.
We also work with BSU academics who may be looking for support to develop a bid for international funding or with an existing funded international project. In both instances, please contact Professor Ian Gadd by emailing i.gadd@bathspa.ac.uk.
