University Board and the Extended Senat condemn the war against Ukraine
Campus information, April 5, 2022
Offering refugee and at-risk academics as well as students an academic home at our university is a vital concern for us.
The University Board and Extended Senate of Kiel University strongly condemn the ongoing war waged by Russia on the territory of Ukraine in violation of international law. These acts of war result in immeasurable suffering for all Ukrainians, who are subject to severe injuries of body and mind, losing family members and friends, whose families are being torn apart and whose homeland is being destroyed. We welcome the many initiatives at Kiel University, city, state, and federal levels to support Ukrainians in their home country as they flee, on their arrival and during their stay in Germany. We would like to thank all university members involved for performing their official duties and also for their indispensable voluntary work.
Offering refugee and at-risk academics and students an academic home at our university is a vital concern for us. Kiel University is committed to provide a welcoming culture. Specifically, the university not only offers comprehensive (academic) counselling for refugee students, but also language and preparatory courses. We are prepared for the need for the psychological counselling of stressed and traumatised people at the university and continue to increase and offer our help here as well. Our information portal is constantly updated. Kiel University actively advocates to continue existing programmes for integrating refugee students at the federal and state level to best prepare these students for their studies in Kiel and support them during their studies. We support applications for and invitations to academics from Ukraine to come to Kiel University as guests and keep on conducting research and lecturing here.
We strongly condemn Russian students being expelled from their home universities and threatened with punishment if they join protests against the war. We will support fleeing and at-risk students with our offers for them to continue their studies in Kiel if they must leave Russia or wish to. The same applies to Russian academics who must fear for their safety and freedom because they have courageously made a statement against the invasion of Ukraine. We, therefore, encourage the use and support of scholarships and programmes that enable Russian academics at risk to come to Kiel and participate in university life in Germany. They, too, will find refuge and a new academic home here.
Institutional research cooperation with Russian universities and research institutions remains suspended for the time being as a mark of protest against the war of aggression in Ukraine, which is against international law. We are constantly monitoring developments in Russia and interacting with other universities and academic organisations in Germany on the possibilities for cooperation. We strongly support cultivating individual academic contacts with colleagues in Russia and academics who have already left Russia because of the current situation.
Kiel University joins sanctions in Ukraine conflict
Campus information, March 2, 2022
Dear members of our university,
Kiel University condemns the hostile and wrongful attack on Ukraine which violates international law in the strongest terms. We declare our solidarity with all Ukrainians who are currently still in their home country or fleeing from it. Our sympathy is with our 50 Ukrainian students and staff members, as well as all members of the university who have friends and family under threat in Ukraine.
We will continue to maintain our contacts and the intensive collaboration with our Ukrainian partners at all levels. We expressly support the Federal Government’s consistent approach and the sanctions by the European Union against Russia, the aggressor, and send a clear message that under the current conditions scientific cooperation with Russia must be suspended.
Cooperation with Russia ceased
Kiel University is immediately ceasing all official research cooperation with Russian institutions, initially for a period of four weeks. This affects joint publications, third-party funded projects or conferences, among others.
Designing scientific cooperation in the medium term depends on how the conflict develops. We will use the Federal Government’s and the European Union’s specifications as a guide, as well as the recommendations by the scientific organisations who we are in close contact with. Personal contacts to Russian colleagues can continue to be maintained; thus we want to make sure that connections for cooperation in research and teaching are not going missing and in order to bring them back to life when the political circumstances change.
Business trips
Business trips to Russia are prohibited, effective immediately. This applies initially to all business trips to Russia that were due to begin up to and including 31.03.2022, regardless of whether they are taking place as part of cooperation projects. Business trips to Russia after 01.04.2022 can only be conditionally planned. Please observe the safety information and travel warnings by the Federal Foreign Office for trips which are planned to European countries which border Russia, Belarus or Ukraine, and avoid business trips wherever possible until further notice.
Exchange programmes for students
Students currently in Russia should terminate their stay immediately. Therefore, we urge all CAU students who are in Russia at the moment to return home.
Joint degree programmes with mobility between Kiel and Russian partner organisations are also affected. German students cannot start a stay in Russia for the time being. The mobility of Russian students is suspended for the summer semester, even if academic organisations such as the DAAD would continue to allow mobility to Germany.
DAAD scholarships for Russian students, lecturers and researchers who are already in Germany will initially continue to be financed by the DAAD. The participation of Russian students, doctoral candidates and staff in academic life at the CAU will not be affected.
Advice and support for those affected
The General Student Committee (AStA) at Kiel University has set up a meeting place allowing exchange among affected students and staff; this is explicitly also intended for people from Russia and Belarus, as well as those from Ukraine. Extra information about this was already sent out via circular e-mail. The event will take place at Olshausenstraße 75, S1, Room 17 (former library for Eastern European law). More information about the safe space for exchange.
The CAU supports existing programmes to help scientists at risk like the Philipp Schwarz Initiative by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Hilde Domin Programme by the DAAD for students at risk. We also committ ourselves to additional support programmes at national level. International students who find themselves in financial difficulties can contact the International Center at Kiel University to apply for interim financial aid.
As a further sign of our solidarity with Ukraine our Computer Science students in the “Project Lighthouse“ will light up the university tower building in the Ukrainian colours tonight (Wednesday, March 2), as from 7 p.m.
The University Board,
Prof. Simone Fulda
Claudia Ricarda Meyer
Prof. Nele Matz-Lück
Prof. Markus Hundt
Prof. Eckhard Quandt
