Twinning Conference and Evening Reception
On 13 November 2025, the Cormack Consultancy Group had the pleasure of convening partners, colleagues, and friends for the annual Twinning Conference and evening Reception marking three years of the Twinning Initiative. The event brought together participants from both UK and Ukrainian universities, stakeholders and government representatives for a day of meaningful discussion, reflection, and collaboration.
The conference, hosted at Birkbeck, University of London, opened with remarks from Professor Sally Wheeler, Vice-Chancellor of Birkbeck; Vivienne Stern, Chief Executive of Universities UK; Mykola Trofymenko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine; and Maddalaine Ansell, Director of Education at the British Council. The programme continued with a series of “Twinning Effect” presentations, highlighting successful partnerships between UK and Ukrainian institutions. Participants also heard updates on new and emerging initiatives, including contributions from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Mosaik Education, SUPRR Initiative, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Cormack Consultancy Group and the Global Coalition for Ukrainian Studies.
The day concluded with an evening Reception at Senate House, moderated by Vivienne Stern. We were honoured by the presence of distinguished guests: Andrii Sybiha, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Dominic Rose, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology of FCDO; Olga Budnyk, the Adviser – Commissioner of the President of Ukraine on the Fund of the President of Ukraine for the Support of Education, Science and Sports; Alim Aliev, Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Institute; Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK. The programme featured a video address by Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine. Additional reflections were offered by Professor Sally Wheeler and Charles Cormack. This evening was the signing of Memorandums of Cooperation for the Global Coalition for Ukrainian Studies with Edge Hill University, the University of Portsmouth, and Birkbeck, University of London. The Reception closed with a musical performance by famous Ukrainian pianist Khrystyna Mykhailichenko.
Beyond the formal programme, the event provided an invaluable opportunity for participants to reconnect, engage in productive discussions, and strengthen relationships that underpin the ongoing success of the Twinning Initiative. The sense of openness, partnership, and shared purpose demonstrated throughout the day reflected the strong and growing community that supports this important work.