Ukraine honours Professor Sven Michel's commitment to partnership

Professor Michel was awarded an honorary doctorate from NUPh in special recognition ofhismany years of work in the field of international educational cooperation, healthcare training and the promotion of partnerships, in particular with countries in the Arab world. The Honorary Chevron of Ukraine has been awarded since 2022 as a sign of trust, appreciation and gratitude. The award was presented by the Rector of NUPh Prof. Dr Oleksandr Kukhtenko in the presence of the Deputy Ukrainian Ambassador, Embassy Counsellor Natalia Chernopaschenko, at the international peace summit on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which took place in Berlin in mid-December.

"These two awards fill me with great gratitude - not only personally, but also on behalf of all those who work across borders for education, understanding and cooperation," said Prof. Michel after the ceremony.

Focus on university development and research cooperation

Numerous expert delegations from science, education, business and civil society came together to discuss and exchange ideas on joint projects. A large number of expert discussions with international delegations took place during the summit, including workshops on university development and research cooperation. A working meeting at the Ukrainian embassy, where representatives from diplomacy, science, business and education networks discussed specific projects, was a particular focal point. Prof. Michel, also President of the German-Arab University Conference, was invited as an official university representative.

Concrete cooperation projects presented

Prof. Dr Sven Michel, who has been committed to the Kharkiv education region since the beginning of the war - in particular in close cooperation with Prof. Dr Abbas Kaafarani, Vice-Rector of the Kharkiv Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education - presented concrete cooperation projects together with partners from Lusatia. In consultation with Prof. Dr Wolfram Berger, Vice President for Internationalisation at the BTU, and Dr Anne-Helen Lutter, advisor for the Campus Senftenberg, Prof. Michel also presented the health science profile and the innovative range of courses on offer at the BTU. "The study structures are largely similar to those of the Kharkiv university region - this opens up numerous sustainable points of contact for cooperation," said Prof. Michel.

Delegation visit to BTU in Senftenberg planned

Prof. Michel was particularly interested in the sensor-based therapy approach that he is pursuing at BTU Senftenberg. Ukraine is currently planning, in coordination with the EU, to intensively expand its capacities in training and in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products and diagnostics laboratory technology.

Natalia Chernopaschenko, Deputy Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, emphasised the willingness of the embassy and the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to expressly support closer cooperation with BTU. An official delegation visit to Senftenberg by the Ukrainian Minister of Health, the university management from Kharkiv and the Ukrainian embassy is planned for 2026.

About the National University of Pharmacy (NUPh)

The National University of Pharmacy offers consecutive study programmes in Biotechnology, Physiotherapy, Health Management, Chemistry and Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics. Medical subjects are taught in co-operation with other Kharkiv universities. The university operates its own university clinic for therapy and rehabilitation at its second location in Uzhgorod in the Ukraine-Hungary-Slovakia border triangle, which is located far away from the theatre of war.

Press releases of the NUPh:

https://nuph.edu.ua/nfau-posyliuie-ievrointehratsiiu-robochyj/

https://nuph.edu.ua/ievrointehratsiia-nfau-krok-za-krokom-do/

Background

The expert discussions in Berlin focussed on the Ukrainian universities, which are trying to continue their educational mission despite the enormous pressures they are under. The university city of Kharkiv, home to several traditional state institutions - including the Kharkiv National Medical University, the Kharkiv Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education and the National University of Pharmacy - was particularly emphasised.

Even before the start of the war, Ukraine was a popular study destination for international students - especially in medicine, health and health technology. Many German students also came to the country via bilateral programmes. The war brought this development to an abrupt halt: international university enrolment has fallen sharply and many foreign students - in particular from the Middle East and North Africa - have had to drop out of their studies. According to estimates by the Federal Agency for Civic Education, their numbers have fallen by up to 90 per cent.

Prof. Dr Oleksandr Kukhtenko, Rector of the National University of Pharmacy, a university with a state coordination function, provided an up-to-date report on the situation. He travelled to Berlin by train with a delegation on behalf of the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to report on university reforms, international openness and Ukraine's future role in the European higher education area.

Against this backdrop, maintaining international educational cooperation is becoming just as important as establishing new partnerships - also as a contribution to academic reconstruction.