The Austrian Academy of Sciences' Joint Excellence in Science and Humanities (JESH) scholarship program offers only a few places in Austria for researchers who have fled Ukraine, but demand is high. WU is currently offering these researchers additional opportunities to resume their own research activities or to complete an internship.

Internships at WU: A success story

As early as 2015, WU offered internships at its institutes and service units to help refugees re-enter academic life. This offer has been reinstated due to the situation in Ukraine, and the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) has agreed to sponsor the program this year.

“As a public university, we are aware of our responsibility and want refugees to know they are always welcome here,” says WU Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger, adding, “We have had very positive experiences with our internships in the past. Many have used the opportunity to build on their previous training and get a foothold on the job market more quickly. The feedback from our former interns has been consistently excellent.” Currently, five people are working at WU as part of the internships. WU and OeNB are currently supporting two other individuals, who unfortunately did not receive JESH scholarships, to allow them to continue their academic work.

Exchange student places for Ukrainians

Many students who are currently still in Ukraine want to graduate from their home universities.
However, studying in some parts of the country is currently almost impossible or only possible under extremely difficult conditions. At the same time, Ukrainian universities also have a great interest in making sure their students graduate, since the country naturally needs well-educated people in the long term. With financial support from ERSTE Foundation, Erste Group, and MM Group, WU has developed its own exchange program with 80 places for Ukrainian exchange students. The places will be available in the upcoming academic year. Credit for courses and examinations completed at WU can be transferred to the students’ home universities. WU’s Rector says, “We are very grateful for the generous financial support of our sponsors. This allows us to make offers such as internships or additional exchange places possible.”

WU also wants to support those people already studying at WU who have also been affected by the consequences of the war. Because many of them are now in a financially difficult situation, WU has released funds to help them, supplying at least €500 per person. Applications are being handled by the Austrian Students' Union (ÖH) WU, and the payments have already begun.