Higher Education and Research in War and Peace
On Saturday, September 10, the FREE Network together with the Centre for Economic Analysis (CenEA) and the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) will host a conference to discuss the importance of higher education and research in war and peace and how EU countries can support the transformation of societies on the road to EU accession.
The value of knowledge and how it is spread and used in any society cannot be overestimated. This is obvious to most in peace times when there is ample focus on modernization, innovation, and transformation of societies in a sustainable manner, where research and education are key inputs to these processes. But also in times of war and conflicts, education and research are important factors in the immediate war efforts as well as providing the foundation for a successful post-war transformation. In Ukraine today, despite Russia’s senseless war and atrocities in the country, the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) and other educational and research institutions are making important contributions to its governments efforts to defend the country and provide hope for the future.
Conference
This event will provide an introduction to how the Forum for Research on Eastern Europe and Emerging Economies (FREE Network) unite institutions in EU countries and Eastern Partnership countries to provide higher education, research, and policy analysis to the benefit of current and future generations of Europeans. It will also provide up-to-date accounts of how the Kyiv School of Economics and the academic community are fighting for Ukraine and the future of Europe.
Program
11.30-12.00 – Registration and coffee
12.00-13.30: Session I
- Welcome, Michal Myck, Director of CenEA
- FREE Network: Supporting Economics Education and Research in Central and Eastern Europe, Torbjörn Becker, Director of SITE
- Education and Research for Regional Development: International School of Economics in Tbilisi, Tamara Sulukhia, Director of ISET
- Times of Peace and Times of War: Development of the Kyiv School of Economics and its Response to the Russian Invasion, Nataliia Shapoval, Vice President for Policy Research at KSE
13.30-14.30 – Lunch
14.30-15.30: Session II
- EU Support for Education and Research – the case of the Warsaw School of Economics Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak, Professor at WSE
- Education and Research Support from the Individual Member States: the Swedish Case Stefan Gullgren, Swedish Ambassador to Poland
- Higher Education in the Baltics, Anders Paalzow, Rector SSE Riga
15.30-16.00 – Coffee break
16.00-17.30: Panel Discussion—The role of Economics Education and Research in transforming societies
- Dzmitry Kruk, Deputy Academic Director, BEROC
- Nataliia Shapoval, Vice President for Policy Research at KSE
- Vlad Mykhnenko, Fellow, St. Peter’s College, University of Oxford
- Moderated by Tamara Sulukhia, Director of ISET
17.30 – Summary & closing
17.30-18.30 – Reception
Registration
The conference will take place at the Royal Castle (Concert Hall), Warsaw, Poland, and will be streamed online. For online access please register via the Trippus platform (here).
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed during events and conferences are those of the authors; they do not necessarily reflect those of the FREE Network and its research institutes.