The Center for EU Enlargement Studies participated in the project entitled "Western Education - A Tool for Europeanization of Ukraine" led by the Ukrainian Institute of Public Policy, supported by the International Visegrad Fund.

The project aimed to identify whether young professionals with foreign diploma are "agents of change" in Ukraine and whether their studying abroad contributes to quality changes in their country and brings Ukraine closer to the EU. Project experts analyzed the demand for such young professionals in public administration and business and developed  recommendations for Ukraine based on the V4 countries experience of the involvement of western universities’ graduates in the EU accession process.

According to some estimates, in Ukraine some 30 000 students per year go West to seek education. Hitherto no substantial analysis had been carried out as to what impact these graduates have upon their return home. The project's goals were to define whether Ukrainian graduates of foreign universities are "change agents" in Ukraine’s Europeanization and how to make the most of their potential drawing on the experience of V4.

In particular, mapping of the Ukrainian foreign university graduates was conducted: what their job, impact, plans and ambitions are. The project aimed to answer the following research questions: How are Ukrainian graduates of foreign universities perceived by potential employers in Ukraine? Is there a demand for such young professionals in public, private sectors and civil society as well as in politics?

V4 partners provided case studies on how professionals educated abroad influenced their accession processes and what policy advice can be drawn from their experience. The project resulted in a vast public discussion engaging alumni associations, scholarship-awarding institutions, Ukrainian decision-makers, employers and opinion-makers as to the enhanced role of the recipients of Western education in Ukraine’s Europeanization. The support of Fulbright Office in Ukraine allowed the project to engage exhaustive number of donor institutions.

The expected impact of the project was:
1) the creation of incentives for Western university alumni employment in public and business structures of Ukraine;
2) a revision of scholarship awarding policies among donors aimed at creating incentives for students to apply their knowledge at home;
3) motivating Western university alumni to act as change agents bringing forward Ukraine’s Europeanization.

Project Partners:
Ukrainian Institute for Public Policy (Ukraine);
Association for International Affairs (Czech Republic);
The European Academy of Diplomacy (Poland);
Pontis Foundation (Slovakia);
Fulbright Program  (USA).

The outputs of the project, the four country analysis from V4 partners and the final report drawing lessons and recommendations, are available for download below.