KIT Supports Ukrainian Universities

Since 2022, members of the KIT community have been supporting higher education in Ukraine – students from several Ukrainian cities are currently visiting KIT
A group of young students discussing with citizens at a public space. Gabi Zachmann, KIT
In Pfinztal, the Ukrainian students engaged in conversation with local residents.

Since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine in February 2022, numerous people at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have been supporting the country on a personal and professional level. At the academic level, this support spans multiple institutes. Professor Barbara Engel from KIT’s Institute for Urban and Landscape Design is currently hosting students and faculty members from Kyiv, Lviv, Odessa, and Kharkiv.

Wide-Ranging Support in Research and Teaching

In the “Competence Network of Urban Transformation and Resilience” project, supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), students from KIT and Ukraine are addressing issues of urban transformation with a focus on sustainability and resilience. The project aims to develop a common curriculum on urban studies and will continue through 2029. Following a design seminar in Tallinn during the 2025/26 winter semester, the group is now working on projects related to the development of the municipality of Pfinztal until July 10. There, they are exploring how suburban areas and public spaces can be improved for the future. This collaboration builds on the “Ukraine digital” project initiated by Engel, which ran from 2022 to 2025.

Professor Bronislava Gorr from KIT’s Institute of Applied Materials is also actively involved in teaching: Since 2024, she has been holding online lecture series during the summer semester for bachelor’s, master’s, and postgraduate students from Vinnytsia, Karlsruhe’s Ukrainian partner city.

KIT researchers have also been supporting Ukrainian authorities on the issue of nuclear safety since 2022. The team led by mathematician Sadeeb Simon Ottenburger from KIT’s Institute for Thermal Energy Technology and Safety provides decision support in the event that damage occurs at one of the four nuclear power plants in the war-affected country.

iha, July 9, 2026