From July 7 to 11, 2025, the first Ukrainian-German Summer School took place in the Ruhr region as part of the DniPRONrw project. More than 50 participants – students and academics from Ukraine and Germany – came together to exchange ideas on language, culture, education, and current societal challenges.

The summer school was officially opened with a video message from North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister of Science, Ina Brandes, who emphasized the significance of the project: "Today more than ever, North Rhine-Westphalia stands by Ukraine. Through DniPRONrw, we are sending a strong message of solidarity and support for reconstruction."

A key moment of the opening was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on July 7, 2025, between the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) and two Ukrainian partner institutions: Oles Honchar State University and the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies. This agreement marks a significant step in strengthening academic collaboration between the Ruhr universities and Ukrainian higher education institutions.

The summer school offered a diverse program of workshops, lectures, excursions, and interdisciplinary discussions. Topics included multilingualism, digital teaching, experiences of war, and resilience. Personal exchange between participants played a central role, making the event a vibrant platform for international cooperation.

DniPRONrw is a collaborative project of the three UA Ruhr universities – Ruhr University Bochum, the University of Duisburg-Essen, and TU Dortmund University – in partnership with the two Ukrainian universities located in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which has been a long-standing partner of North Rhine-Westphalia. The project is funded with €100,000 by the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The summer school represents an important milestone within the DniPRONrw project. It stands as a model for sustainable networking and knowledge exchange between Germany and Ukraine – and reflects the conviction that academic partnerships can build lasting bridges, even in times of crisis.