The centers established within the UniCities project serve as platforms for knowledge exchange and collaboration in the fields of sustainable development and climate neutrality. They demonstrate that academic initiatives launched at universities can shape the global agenda on urban recovery and transformation.

A vivid example of this is the work of the Center for Sustainable Development and Environmental Law at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, led by MSCA4Ukraine fellow, renowned scholar and legal expert Dr. Ievgeniia Kopytsia. 

The Center is a leading platform for research and education in climate, energy, and environmental law, and it also coordinates the Europe–Ukraine Energy Transition Hub – an international consortium supporting Ukraine’s green recovery and the development of resilient governance and market frameworks.

Dr. Kopytsia will be the keynote speaker at the open lecture “Cities on the frontline: urban governance in the age of the polycrisis?”, organized within the framework of Oxford University’s Sustainable Urban Development programme in cooperation with the Center for Sustainable Development and Environmental Law. The event will take place on 18 October 2025 and will be available both online and on-site.

The lecture will present Ukraine’s experience in showing how frontline cities can become laboratories for transformative recovery — from housing policy and climate adaptation to legal mechanisms and new models of participatory governance. Particular attention will be paid to the role of local government and cross-sectoral collaboration in times of profound crisis.

Registration for the event is available here: Cities on the frontline: urban governance in the age of the polycrisis?

Such educational initiatives confirm that universities are not only places of learning but also catalysts of change, amplifying the international visibility of Ukrainian expertise and experience.