On the 26th and 27th of May 2025, the international conference Planning the Future of Ukrainian Studies in Europe took place at the main campus of the University of Warsaw. It gathered not only the scholars from four universities cooperating in the Erasmus+ KA220 project „EUkraine Forum” – Charles University, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Inalco University, and University of Warsaw, but also many external experts who contributed to the discussions. The Faculty of Arts was represented by Eva Lehečková, Stanislav Tumis, Tereza Chlaňová, Kateryna Mychka, Marta Burdiak, Radomyr Mokryk and Nazarii Deineka.

The first day focused on the mapping of Ukrainian Studies and on the methodologies of locating Ukrainian Studies in the Social Sciences and Humanities. After the introductory keynote speech and institutional greetings, the first panel, Mapping Ukrainian Studies: Comparative Approach between Poland, the Czech Republic, France, and Ukraine, provided an overview of Ukrainian Studies in the four partner countries by comparing their institutional, academic, and methodological approaches. Identification of priorities and challenges for developing Ukrainian Studies in these national contexts was the main goal of the panel. In the second part of the day, the panel Mapping Ukrainian Studies: European and Global Perspectives offered an overview of Ukrainian Studies across Europe, analyzing current trends, key teaching and research areas, and recent developments in the field. Speakers highlighted the academic, institutional, and financial needs for strengthening Ukrainian Studies in Europe, including a perspective from regions outside of Europe. The first day of the conference concluded with a Roundtable devoted to Developing Teaching and Research in Ukrainian Studies. The speakers reflected on the morning panels and discussed the possibility of further collective development of Ukrainian studies in Europe and the next steps to achieve this goal. They provided insights and advice for developing Ukrainian studies based on the current strengths and needs of such programs in European universities.

The second day of the conference, devoted to Locating Ukrainian Studies in Training Professionals, was opened by an introductory presentation focused on the importance of the development of Ukrainian studies for Ukraine’s Accession to the European Union. The third panel, Training Experts on Ukraine: Adapting Ukrainian Studies to Professional Market Need, engaged with professionals from various sectors to assess the need for expertise on Ukraine. Speakers focused on the identification of the skills and knowledge required in fields such as diplomacy, journalism, business, international organizations, and NGOs, and explored how Ukrainian Studies can better align professional market needs in Europe. The last panel of the conference, Developing Ukrainian Studies as an Academic Field: Institutional and Disciplinary Perspectives, discussed the growing demand for academic expertise in Ukrainian Studies in higher education and research. Speakers explored how to foster interdisciplinarity between social sciences, language and literature to strengthen the academic foundation of Ukrainian Studies.