The support initiative for Ukrainian scholars in Luxembourg, created by Prof. Marten Düring and Dr. Inna Ganschow in August 2022, celebrated its closure in May 2026.

The Luxembourg Ukrainian Researcher Network (LURN) was established in 2022 at the University of Luxembourg’s Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) in response to the urgent challenges faced by Ukrainian scholars and students following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Founded by Dr. Marten Düring and Dr. Inna Ganschow, with the support of Dr. Marina Laurent, the initiative aimed to create a platform for academic integration and collegial support. Now, almost four years later, LURN can consider its mission accomplished.

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The closing event of LURN was held in conjunction with the launch of the U-CORE collection of Ukrainian war testimonies in Luxembourg, for which 17 LURN members were interviewed and invited to participate in a co-creation experiment. Following the first two parts of the event – which included project and application presentations as well as a roundtable discussion with international scholars on oral history, ethics, and technology, the final segment featured a retrospective on nearly four years of LURN by one of its co-founders, Inna Ganschow, as well as presented results from a survey among LURN members by Marten Düring, followed by gifts and flowers as a token of gratitude for the most active LURN members.

In her presentation, Ganschow emphasized that LURN is a dynamic network whose mission and priorities have evolved over time. To this end, the network initially sought not only collaboration with Ukrainian scholars in Luxembourg, but also with local diaspora communities such as the Ukrainian school, the library, the Scouts, the student organization, the Ukrainian-language program “Kalyna” on Radio ARA, and Ukrainians on professional social media (LinkedIn). Also looking beyond the borders of the Greater Region to forge ties with academic communities in neighboring countries – such as Ukrainian networks in France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands – and organizing a joint BeNeLURN conference in March 2023 were additional ways to remain true to the mission of promoting academic integration in Luxembourg and throughout Europe.

Another mission of LURN was to encourage collaboration between Ukrainian researchers and local researchers. Approximately twenty workshops were held for Ukrainian researchers on topics such as academic communication, career strategies outside academia, job search and interviews, digital tools and artificial intelligence, scholarly virtues, and many more. Colleagues from the University of Luxembourg, the Luxembourg School of Business, UL Incubator, SnT, C²DH, and several other organizations were involved in providing knowledge and competences.

Over the years, LURN has matured into a self-managed academic community led by researchers Alexey Aleksandrov, Oleksiy Kiriukhin, Zhanna Serdiuk, Olga Kryvets, and, remotely, Ihor Dunaev. The network has organized a wide range of academic and professional activities, including 17 LURN meetings, two international meetings, one international conference, one roundtable, and the publication of its own digest. LURN members were engaged in interdisciplinary initiatives such as the conference “Ukrainian Studies Across the Borders” and in participatory workshops of the “U-CORE” oral history project.

All in all, LURN can be seen as a model for a sustainable platform for any displaced scholars’ communities in terms of professional networking.

Some examples of LURN members’ outputs:

• Viktoriia Gorbunova – Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) grant;
• Olga Kryvets – FNR grant;
• Zhanna Serdiuk – Grand Duchess Charlotte Foundation grant;
• Kseniia Fedorova and Kateryna Ivanishchenko – PhD positions;
• Liudmyla Momotiuk and Nadiia Novytska – employed in semi-academic roles;
• Viacheslav Vdovichenko and Valentyna Kuryliak – employed in the United States;
• Kateryna Zakharchuk, Iurii Skobel and Inna Ganschow – Thinkering AI Grant at the C²DH;
• Iryna Pogrebinska and Kateryna Zakharchuk– employees at U-CORE;
• Oleksiy Kiriukhin – visiting researcher at UL and UniGR-CBS at the University of Liège…

In his presentation of the questionnaire results, Marten Düring was able to show that the feedback from LURN members regarding the network’s achievements was rated as decidedly positive. The network’s goals, such as creating a sense of community among Ukrainian scholars, were rated as positive, although contacts with local researchers were partially evaluated as unsatisfactory. The knowledge and expertise provided also scored highly, as did the willingness to now start their own organization with colleagues. In general, expectations were met, and the questionnaire revealed a strong sense of community also in shared activities outside of LURN, including hiking, attending cultural events, and maintaining personal connections.

The event concluded with an honor for C²DH Director Andreas Fickers, who provided institutional support, as well as for Marten Düring, Inna Ganschow, and LURN activists, followed by a reception. The next step is reconnecting via the UL’s alumni platform, where LURN members are now welcomed as former staff members.

• LURN inauguration meeting presentation
• Final LURN meeting presentation by Inna Ganschow