Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies Frankfurt (Oder) – Berlin (KIU)

About

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The KIU competence network is a four-year DAAD-funded project to strengthen Ukraine-related research, teaching, networking and transfer activities. The competence network, initiated and led by the European University Viadrina, includes the ZOiS, the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, the Freie Universität Berlin, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Wissenschaftskolleg Berlin.

KIU – Competence Network for Interdisciplinary Ukraine Studies Frankfurt (Oder)-Berlin, led by the European University Viadrina, and the ‘Denkraum Ukraine’ Regensburg are the two Ukraine Centers in Germany funded by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). Together, they are working on building Ukraine-related academic research and teaching, disseminating Ukraine expertise in politics, academia, media, and civil society, as well as promoting a Europe-wide dialogue with Ukraine.

 

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KIU – Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukraine Studies

Frankfurt (Oder)-Berlin

News

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Bounded Solidarity: Poland and Ukraine amid Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has taken a harder line on Ukraine: he opposes Kyiv’s NATO bid, rules out sending Polish troops under any circumstances, and has tightened domestic support for Ukrainian refugees. The country remains strongly critical of Russia, but this does not mean unlimited solidarity with Ukraine.

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Call for Applications: W3 Professorship in Ukrainian Studies

The Faculty of Social and Cultural Sciences invites applications for a tenured position at the rank of Full Professor in Ukrainian Studies. The successful candidate shall focus on Ukrainian studies (19th-21st century) in a transnational and a global context through their teaching, research, and the transfer of knowledge. We are seeking candidates who will develop the field in an internationally visible manner, participate in national and international research collaborations, and contribute to further establishing the Viadrina as a leading centre for Ukrainian studies worldwide. The position plays a pivotal role in developing the institutional structures of interdisciplinary research on Eastern Europe and Ukraine at Viadrina, assuming both leadership and management responsibilities. | For more details, please visit the relevant Viadrina page.

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Francesc Rodríguez: Enduring Waterscapes of Ukraine - hydrosocial relations, infrastructures, and more-than-humans

TUESDAY, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. | GD HS 08 (Gräfin-Dönhoff-Building), Europa-Universität Viadrina I Hybrid format I Started in 2014 and escalated into a large-scale invasion in February 2022, the Russian war of aggression has brought widespread military use of rivers and other bodies of fresh water across Ukraine, in what it is known as hydrological warfare. Using ‘water walks’ as a river-making practice, Francesc will present part of his ongoing ethnographic work in several war-affected riverine communities across Ukraine both in the rear and frontline regions. He will elucidate how everyday hydrosocial relations, water infrastructures, and more-than-human beings mutually shape one another to form what he conceptualizes as ‘enduring waterscapes’. Lastly, offered as a humble contribution to present and future restoration efforts, the presentation will touch on the implications of these ‘enduring waterscapes’, especially in light of EU Nature Restoration Law and its potential application in Ukraine.

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Yaroslava Gnezdilova : Cross-Linguistic Framing of Emotion and Ideology - The Media’s Role in Translating and Shaping Narratives of the Russian-Ukrainian War

TUESDAY, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. | GD HS 08 (Gräfin-Dönhoff-Building), Europa-Universität Viadrina I Hybrid format I The lecture addresses the mass-media discourse studies, namely, mass-media political space as a specific platform where political actions are performed and social opinion is formed, where one competes for the control over the people's reactions on the political decisions and processes, over the possibility to interpret some political events. In mass-media discourse, ideology is inextricably intertwined with manipulation as both are based on social and cultural settings a certain society lives by. Moreover, ideology is viewed as one of the social and cultural factors which mainly influence a translated text. Thus, the main theme of this lecture is to demonstrate how translators from different social-historical backgrounds – or, in other words, of different metapragmatic awareness – are manipulated by different ideology, how they meet different cultural demands, and how the information presented in the translated text varies from one language to another.

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International Conference ‘Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Recovery & the Future of Europe’

Hybrid format, Link in the event description | NEW LOCATION: Raum K 005 at FU Berlin, Fachbereich Wirtschaftswissenschaft, Garystraße 21, 14195 Berlin | Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Registration required | Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Recovery & the Future of Europe brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to reflect on post-war reconstruction, security challenges, governance, humanitarian recovery, and Ukraine’s role in the future of Europe. The conference will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, and a roundtable with international experts working on Ukraine, European security, and post-conflict transformation. | Organised by: KIU / European University Viadrina, Freie Universität Berlin, Kyiv School of Economics & The Ukraine Foundation

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Call for Applications: KIU Research Fellowships on Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies, Summer Term 2026

The KIU Research Fellowship supports outstanding, interdisciplinary research related to Ukraine. Scholars from fields such as history, the social sciences, science andtechnology studies, economics, media and legal studies, cultural and conflict studies, and related areas are invited to deepen their projects, expand academic networks, andcontribute to a dynamic Ukraine-focused research environment. For the summer term 2026 we are offering both on-site and non-residential fellowships for committed scientists from all the above-mentioned disciplines. Research topics should be related to our recent semester topic: ‘Nationalities, minorities and identity: (Re)Configuring Ukraine?’. Applications are accepted until 15 January 2026.

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Fellowships and Programmes

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Fellowships

The KIU Research Fellowship in Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies supports innovative and significant research on topics related to Ukraine.

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Programmes

The KIU Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies Frankfurt (Oder) – Berlin offers various programmes. Among them is its first Summer School on "War in Ukraine: Destruction of heritage – mastering legacy".

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Partners

Funded by

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with funds from the Federal Foreign Office (AA)