Condemnation of the attack on Ukraine and offers of help
Shocked by the news about the attack on Ukraine that violates international law, we strongly condemn the assault by Putin's regime on a sovereign and self-determining member of the community of states. We are facing dark times - especially for Ukraine, but also for Europe and the entire world. Therefore, our solidarity is with all those affected as well as with all those who have been innocently caught up in this political dilemma. In particular, we think of those who are currently fearing for their lives and those of their loved ones.
Freedom of science, exchange of knowledge across borders and disciplines, as well as cooperation in education and research are fundamental pillars of our ethical values. We are convinced that scientific knowledge and technological progress are only possible through open discourse and intensive cooperation in a diverse and international team. For this reason, we foster long-standing and trusting partnerships with scientists around the world including researchers from Ukraine and Russia, which we value immensely, because our common understanding is based on trust and mutual respect.
To ensure that this treasure is not lost in these difficult times, we would like to build bridges where we can: students, doctoral candidates and postdocs from the disciplines represented at the DWI can contact us in confidence. We are committed to finding individual solutions so that the education and work of young scientists is affected as little as possible. Contact us and we will strive to arrange individual ways to support you: @email.
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank all those around the world, in Ukraine and in Russia, who are advocating for free and independent science and cultural exchange, and we explicitly reaffirm our cohesion and cooperation within the international scientific community. Therefore, we would also like to draw attention to further offers of support that are dedicated to this cause:
- Fellowships at German scientific institutions (this includes Leibniz institutions) are offered for postdocs through the Philipp Schwartz Initiative of the Humboldt Foundation.
- This sheet of the German-Ukrainian Academic Society lists a large number of laboratories that support researchers from Ukraine with various offers for research stays.
We hope for an immediate end to the military actions and appeal to reason and humanity with the words of Albert Einstein: “The most important decision we can make is whether this is a friendly or hostile universe. From that one decision all others spring.”