EaPConnect: GÉANT and Vietsch Foundation launch project to support Ukrainian Research and Education

The EU-funded GÉANT Association (European Research and Education network) and the Vietsch Foundation are launching a project to support the Ukrainian Research and Academic Network (URAN). 

“As the war in Ukraine goes on, URAN will need our support and help more than ever, not just to survive but to stay as safe as possible and where possible to maintain and rebuild,” says GÉANT.

The project will be legally and financially managed by the Vietsch Foundation, a non-profit tax-exempt charity (in Dutch ANBI) established in the Netherlands.

Funds donated by Europe’s National Research and Education Network (NRENs) will primarily address URAN’s cash flow challenges and help to ensure URAN’s survival as an NREN. While the war has heavily affected URAN’s many users who are currently unable to operate themselves and are therefore unable to pay for URAN services, URAN faces ongoing operational costs and is therefore at severe risk itself, explains GÉANT.

The funds will also support URAN staff with cost-of-living expenses and thus help to preserve the knowledge and skills of the Ukrainian NREN.

Looking to the future, the funds will also help to replace network equipment that has been destroyed or lost during the war, ensuring that Ukrainian Research and Education recovers as quickly as possible.

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Press release