How we’re responding to the invasion of Ukraine

You can also find resources for affected staff and students, resources for university staff and our latest statement. 

We have been working with the Cormack Consultancy Group (CCG) to hear from Ukrainian institutions and see what practical support UK universities can offer to Ukrainian institutions and their staff and students. 

Together with CCG, we have established a twinning initiative for UK universities to express their interest in supporting Ukrainian universities with a similar profile. With CCG, we will support discussions between universities with a good fit.  

The aim is to establish partnerships that will help restore the Ukrainian higher education system and reduce the impact of the crisis on Ukrainian institutions, and their staff and students.  

We believe the UK should be a welcoming place for academics and students fleeing conflict.  

We are continuing to engage with officials across the Home Office and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to explore support for Ukrainian citizens seeking to come to the UK. This includes a request for further information and details of Phase Two of the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme which we want universities to play the fullest role they can in.

We are also working closely with the Home Office on details of the newly announced ‘Ukraine Extension Scheme’ which is designed to support Ukrainian citizens already in the UK. We are currently waiting for clarification over whether those studying on the Ukrainian Extension Scheme will be able to switch into other visa routes following their studies, including the Graduate route.

We welcome the UK Government’s £3 million package of support for Ukrainian researchers at risk to help them continue their work in the UK. We have worked closely with the British Academy on its Researchers at Risk Fellowship Programme which is being delivered in partnership with the Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara).

We are looking into the likely impact on the financial situation and wellbeing of all affected students in the UK. We are supporting our members on this issue and working with the government to seek support where it’s needed.  We welcome the announcement from the Department for Education regarding hardship support as outlined in the guidance to the Office for Students. 

We are working with Refugee Education UK, along with a range of other groups, to develop a co-ordinated approach to support students fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. 

On 7 March, we formally suspended our Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Russian Union of Rectors (RUR). This followed a statement from the RUR in which it gave its full support to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 
  
In suspending the MoU, we highlighted our unequivocal condemnation of the invasion. We repeated our commitment to the exchange of ideas between academics and universities, and our intention to continue to support the welfare of Russian students and staff in the UK. 
  
We are advising all our members to review any current or planned collaborations or financial arrangements with Russian organisations, using the detailed guidance in our Managing risks in internationalisation. We are aware that some universities have suspended existing partnerships.   

Research collaboration with Russia 

We have worked with the UK Government on how to develop the most effective and targeted actions against the Putin regime. On 27 March, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy published more information on research and innovation sanctions on Russia. We recognise and support the decision to stop funding new collaborative projects with Russia.  

On 4 March, the EU Commission issued a statement confirming that it will not sign any new Horizon grant agreements with Russian entities and will review any existing agreements. 

Education partnerships with Russia 

We continue to work closely with the Office for Students (OfS) on its approach to regulating the provision on higher education courses to students located in Russia. We’re working closely with all our members across the UK that provide higher education in Russia in all nations to support them through their response. 

  
 
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