UCC welcomes Sanctuary Fellows from Ukraine

UNIVERSITY College Cork (UCC) this week welcomed the first five Sanctuary Fellows from Ukraine who have started their six month fellowships at UCC.

The UCC Sanctuary Fellowship Scheme provides support to PhD researchers, post-doctoral fellows, academics and professional services staff from universities and other third level institutes outside of Ireland who are at risk as a result of conflict or other serious human rights violations.

UCC will welcome further fellows from Afghanistan and Ukraine in the coming months.

"We extend a warm welcome to these Sanctuary Fellows," Professor John O'Halloran, President of UCC said. 

"UCC is a sanctuary university and will continue to develop a culture of welcome for asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants and share good practice with other institutions," he continued. 

The UCC Sanctuary Fellowship Scheme provides financial support in the format of a start-up grant of €500 to cover basic necessities as required, a laptop and a monthly salary for at least six months.

The level of the monthly salary is based on the level of seniority of the fellow and ranges between €2,200 and €2,500 per month.

Each fellow is also linked to a UCC mentor who will act as a focal point to provide social and professional support on a peer-to-peer basis.

"The devastating events in Ukraine galvanised the UCC community to respond as agilely and as quickly as we could to help our fellow academics and university staff affected by the war, whilst also inspiring us to develop a sustainable model that means we can respond to future global crises whenever and wherever they occur," 

Dr James Kapalo, of the UCC University Sanctuary Group, said. 

The Sanctuary Fellowship Scheme was announced by the university back in April and is the first fellowship of its kind in Ireland’s higher education sector.

"In Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen, millions of people are currently displaced as a result of war, conflict and human rights violations. 

"As an academic institution and a University of Sanctuary, UCC has an obligation to provide support and protection to our colleagues from other third level institutions in countries facing such threats," Prof O'Halloran said announcing the scheme.

UCC said it received an "overwhelming response" to the UCC Sanctuary Fellowship Scheme which is closed for additional submissions until further notice.