#ScienceforUkraine – Help in and from Science

The National Academic Contact Point Ukraine (Nationale Akademische Kontaktstelle Ukraine) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers Ukrainian students and researchers an initial orientation in Germany and above all to the German higher education and research system. On its website, it provides an overview - in German, English and Ukrainian - of the various support services available in the academic sphere. She is also available to answer further questions in person.

link to the website

The Thuringian Ministry of Science has announced in a press release that it is launching a support package for students and academic staff from Ukraine at Thuringian universities. The aid is available immediately for Ukrainian refugees who want to study at a Thuringian university, as well as for students already enrolled at a Thuringian state university or for academic staff from Ukraine already working here. The Ministry of Science assumes a financial requirement of initially around 1.5 million euros for the current year, which will initially be pre-financed from state funds until corresponding federal funds are available.

The state's support package comprises three components:

• The state provides financial support to the universities for additional measures to prepare for and accompany studies (e.g. language courses, subject-specific preparatory and bridge courses, mentoring, study guides, etc.) for refugees from Ukraine who want to take up studies. If necessary, an additional course for refugees from Ukraine interested in studying at the Staatliches Studienkolleg Nordhausen is to be financed, in which they can acquire the university entrance qualification.
• Students from Ukraine who have been enrolled since the beginning of the war and whose financing options for the continuation of their studies from their country of origin (e.g. through their parents) have been eliminated or interrupted and who are therefore threatened with the discontinuation of their studies can receive a monthly scholarship of up to 600 euros until the end of 2022, depending on their need.
• For the continuation of research or teaching stays that are about to come to an end, the state will provide the higher education institutions with research grants of 1,365 euros per person and month until the end of 2022 for up to 40 academics from Ukraine, insofar as financing by the higher education institutions themselves or third parties (such as the DFG, DAAD) is not possible.

These measures would be flanked by additional offers from the Student Services Organisation (Studierendenwerk Thüringen), such as free meal vouchers or support with accommodation matters.

Please contact the International Office or the Student Services Organisation for further information.

Support and funding opportunities for (refugee) academics

Karin Reichenbach from the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO) and Bernhard Kleeberg from the University of Erfurt have compiled a list of links to funding opportunities, scholarships, etc. for hosting and supporting refugee researchers. The list is written in English and is regularly supplemented and updated.

Details on the individual offers can be found on the linked pages of the institutes.

ERA4Ukraine: Job offers and information for refugee Ukrainians

The ERA4Ukraine search engine is backed by more than 600 scientific institutions and 43 national portals from EU member states and countries associated with the EU research programme Horizon Europe.

Go to the ERA4Ukraine portal (Germany)

#ScienceforUkraine

On the website https://scienceforukraine.eu/ Ukrainian students and researchers can find paid academic positions, academic networking and temporary accommodation opportunities worldwide. At the same time, it is possible to register support offers on the site.

Emergency loans of the Hildegardis Association

The Hildegardis Association, a large Catholic association for the promotion of women's studies that is more than 100 years old, has announced emergency loans for study projects and other qualification projects for female students from Ukraine.

More information can be found on the association's website:  www.hildegardis-verein.de/ukraine-soforthilfe.html.

The University of Erfurt offers a free guest student programme for prospective students who have had to interrupt their studies because of the war in Ukraine and have fled. We have compiled important information about this on our website www.uni-erfurt.de/en/international/counselling/refugees-welcome.

The guest student programme gives refugees from Ukraine the opportunity to take part in lectures and make contacts on campus, thus giving them an introduction to everyday life at the university. In addition, they can improve their language skills in German languages courses that accompany their studies. For advice and to put together an individual guest student programme, please contact Marion Kraushaar at the International Office.

To get support in finding your way around campus or to find a language tandem partner, you can also contact the mentors of the Welcome Project. This project is a student initiative at the University of Erfurt in which Erfurt students get involved with refugees. One of the main tasks is student mentoring to familiarise refugees with the idea of continuing their previous education by studying in Germany. The refugees can participate in integration and support activities at the University of Erfurt and come into contact with Erfurt students.

Refugees from Ukraine can take up studies regardless of their asylum or residence status. Under higher education law, they are treated the same as foreign student applicants. For admission to higher education, they must fulfil the formal requirements of §§ 67 ff ThürHG. These are the language skills required for the degree programme, usually German, and a higher education entrance qualification.

The International Office advises refugees interested in studying about the various study options at the University of Erfurt. It shows you different ways to study and also informs you about preparatory German language courses and other preparatory courses. Please contact our staff in the International Office directly.

Please contact your colleagues at the Thuringian Student Services Organisation (Studierendenwerk). The contact person is Mirjam Triebe at the info point in the cafeteria building on campus.

• Pastoral care for Ukrainians in Erfurt: Ukrainian Pastoral Office Erfurt, St. Martini Church, Priest Yaroslav Sadovyj Telephone: 01578 441 4085 E-mail: info@ugkgt.de
• The site of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztliche Vereinigung) can be used to search for doctors who offer treatment free of charge for Ukrainian refugees. https://www.kv-thueringen.de/arztsuche
• On-site psychosocial counselling (Psychosoziale Beratung) is available free of charge from the Student Services Organisation (Studierendenwerk) for students at Thuringian universities.
• Information on medical assistance can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs. https://www.germany4ukraine.de/hilfeportal-de
• Student Health Insurance in Germany: A Guide For Foreigners

Are you looking for support services in Erfurt?

• The website of the city of Erfurt lists various support services - e.g. local consultation hours for Ukrainian refugees, free medical care, etc. - and contact points, as well as addresses and offices where you can offer or find help. www.erfurt.de/ef/de/service/aktuelles/topthemen/ukraine/index.html
• The Association of Ukrainian Compatriots (Verein ukrainischer Landsleute e.V.) organises aid transports and help for refugees in Erfurt and has also set up a donation account. https://ukrainische-landsleute.de/

The Welcome Project is a student project at the University of Erfurt in which Erfurt students get involved with refugees. One of the main tasks is student mentoring to familiarise refugees with the idea of continuing their previous education by studying in Germany. The refugees can participate in integration and support activities at the University of Erfurt and come into contact with Erfurt students.

The students of the Welcome Initiative offer many kinds of support:

• weekly welcome consultation hours
• information on free guest studentships, help in choosing courses that are suitable for guest students
• arranging language tandems between Erfurt students and refugees
• information events and workshop days on issues related to studying (financing, preparation, specialist information)
• initial counselling on studying in Germany or at the University of Erfurt and referral to professional counselling structures.

In addition, the mentoring programme also offers campus and library tours, joint group meetings and excursions (picnics, sporting events, regional excursions, etc.) and takes into account the ideas of the refugees and students. The Welcome Project also works together with other actors in the city, such as the Sprachcafé Erfurt, where people can meet and chat on Tuesdays from 6 pm at Allerheiligenstr. 9.

contact the Welcome project:
email: refugeeswelcome@uni-erfurt.de
facebook: www.facebook.com/WelcomeUniErfurt