EAIE Gothenburg 2025: screenings of “Academic Resilience Stories from Ukraine”

At the 2025 EAIE Conference in Gothenburg, the documentary “Academic Resilience Stories from Ukraine” was presented in two sessions designed to reach a broad audience of international higher-education professionals. The first screening took place on 11 September 2025 at 16:45 and the second occurred on 12 September 2025 at 10:15.

EAIE (European Association for International Education) is a leading non-profit, member-led organisation that promotes and supports the internationalisation of higher education across Europe and beyond. Its annual conference brings together thousands of professionals in higher education and serves as a vibrant platform for exchange, innovation, and collaborative initiatives in the global academic community. eaie.org

The 38-minute film offered a powerful window into the lives of Ukrainian students and academics striving to continue their educational work amid Russia’s full-scale invasion. Through personal testimony and historical context, the documentary revealed stories of courage, adaptability, and determination to preserve culture and learning in the face of adversity. It also functioned as a call to global solidarity within the academic sector.

Both screenings began with a pre-recorded introduction by Gianluca Vagnarelli, Academies4Ukraine project coordinator. In his message, he emphasized the critical need to protect higher education in crisis and explained how the project was built through collaboration with both European and Ukrainian institutions.

After the film, attendees engaged with perspectives from Svitlana Shytikova (National Erasmus+ Office – Ukraine, ILID) and Kateryna Zhdanova (NEO-Ukraine). They shared up-to-date reflections on the challenges faced by Ukrainian universities, highlighting resilience, adaptation, and the essential role of international cooperation.

Across both sessions, the screenings struck a chord with conference participants. They reinforced the message that academic communities must not only document and share stories of resistance but also actively support each other. The EAIE setting—bringing together educators, policy-makers, and institutional leaders—provided an ideal venue for fostering these connections and renewing commitment to higher education’s role in times of crisis.