Sumy State University has won the THEA Ukraine Lead Project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space with support from DAAD.

Working just 20 km from the frontline, Sumy State knows the true cost of resilience. On 18 August 2025, another Russian missile and drone attack destroyed university buildings. Yet while the enemy can tear down walls, it cannot break our determination to move forward. Infrastructure can be rebuilt, but institutional capacity, scientific expertise, and the ability to generate new ideas for the renewal of education and science cannot be destroyed.

The particular value of the THEA Ukraine Lead project lies in supporting the best ideas and solutions aimed at strengthening and rebuilding Ukrainian higher education and research. The initiative is coordinated by the Wandelwerk – Centre for Quality Enhancement at FH Münster (Germany) in partnership with SumDU, in particular through the International Affairs Department and the Department of Human Resources and Academic Staff Training.

Over the next three years, in cooperation with German partners, we will involve leading managers and academics in training and developing solutions that are essential for the recovery of Ukrainian higher education. This is not just an educational program but a platform for shaping new strategies to retain talent, strengthen the academic community, and lay the foundations for post-war reconstruction.

Despite the challenges and the heavy price the university pays for its international and academic engagement, SumDU remains part of the global academic discourse, feels the support of its partners, and contributes to shaping the vision of the future of Ukrainian higher education.

THEA Ukraine Lead Programme (2025–2029)

The programme is designed for senior and mid-level university leaders – rectors, vice-rectors, deans, heads of central administrative units, as well as young managers at the start of their careers.

Key areas of training include:

• Strategic management, financial sustainability, and planning;
• Leadership, teamwork, and conflict resolution;
• Internationalisation, partnership building, and strengthening universities’ global presence.

Participants will develop applied change projects in their institutions, engage in policy dialogues with representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Alliance of Ukrainian Universities, and international partners, and take part in activities that foster integration into the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

The programme qualifies three cohorts of 15 participants annually.

📌 Application deadline for the 2025/26 cohort: 31 August 2025.

Application documents are available here: THEA Ukraine Lead. 

We invite SumDU unit leaders and colleagues from partner universities to apply for the programme. This is a unique opportunity for personal and professional growth and a meaningful contribution to the future of our university and to the rebuilding of the Ukrainian higher education system as a whole.