LTH cooperation with Ukraine
Lund University and LTH stands firmly with Ukraine. As part of a global community of universities, we are guided by shared academic values – academic freedom, democracy, and freedom of expression.
We believe that student and researcher exchange is essential to peace and to the preservation of these values. When such principles are threatened, our responsibility to defend them becomes even greater.
Through the SI Ukraine Cooperation initiative, funded by the Swedish Institute, LTH is proud to deliver three capacity development programmes. LTH is also currently carrying out one project in collaboration with Lund Municipality, amongst others, funded by Sweden’s Innovation agency Vinnova.
Developing a sustainable transport system from a rights-based perspective
This programme ran from 2025 to 2026 and is carried out by the Department of Technology and Society at LTH, in partnership with K2 – the National Knowledge Centre for Collective Mobility, and the Ministry for Reconstruction, Infrastructure and Transport of Ukraine.
Website of K2 – the National Knowledge Centre for Collective Mobility
Website of the Ministry for Reconstruction, Infrastructure and Transport of Ukraine
It is aimed at Ukrainian public officials and decision-makers at national, regional, and local levels working in transport planning, policy development, and accessibility. The goal is to strengthen institutional capacity and support Ukraine’s alignment with EU regulations and standards.
More about the programme on the blog Building Global Capacity
Gender-Responsive Transformation of Ukraine’s Transport Sector
Building on the ongoing collaboration between LTH, K2 and Ukraine’s Ministry for Reconstruction, Infrastructure and Transport, this programme is a continuation and further development of the capacity development programme on sustainable and rights-based transport launched in 2025. It responds to emerging needs in Ukraine’s transport sector, with a particular focus on gender-responsive institutions, women’s participation in the transport workforce, inclusive transport services, and Ukraine’s reconstruction and EU integration. The programme will run between from late 2026 to 2027.
Towards an Innovation Ecosystem for Entrepreneurship and Rapid Product Development in Ukraine
This programme received funding in 2026 and will run for 24 months and is carried out by the Division of Innovation at the Department of Design Sciences at LTH. Its overall objective is to strengthen the capacity of Ukrainian organisations and individuals to drive innovation-led economic development and EU integration, by establishing a functioning innovation ecosystem model that links academia, industry, and public institutions through systematic knowledge exchange, capacity building, and applied pilot implementation in rehabilitation equipment and civil UAV applications. Ukrainian partners are Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University and Unbroken, an organisation for rehabilitation and medical devices in Ukraine.
Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University's website
Innovation Ecosystems for Civil Defense in Municipalities
Funded by Sweden’s Innovation agency, Vinnova, the project aims to develop innovation ecosystems for municipal civil defence, strengthening preparedness and resilience through international learning and collaboration. It will map existing ecosystems and needs, identify gaps and opportunities, and develop a joint roadmap for future collaboration between Sweden, Estonia and Ukraine. The project is coordinated by Lund Municipality and is a collaboration between LTH, University of Tartu (Estonia), and the City of Rivne (Ukraine).