UKRAINIAN RESEARCHER AS PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC DELEGATION: PARTICIPATION IN THE INSIGHT ISRAEL PROGRAM

From January 23 to 30, 2026, an international academic visit took place within the framework of the Insight Israel program, organized through cooperation between the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism of the State of Israel and Ariel University. The program aimed to deepen international academic dialogue and to provide insight into the development of Israeli science, the higher education system, and socio-political processes under contemporary security challenges.

The international delegation consisted of 22 representatives of the academic and expert community from 11 countries: Ukraine, Poland, the United States, Canada, Germany, India, Spain, Georgia, Armenia, Austria, and Lithuania. The delegation brought together leading scholars, university administrators, and experts in political science, international relations, law, security studies, innovation, and public policy.

Ukraine was represented in the delegation by Galyna Zelenko, Deputy Director for Research at the I. F. Kuras Institute of Political and Ethnonational Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine. Her participation in the program was an important element in presenting Ukrainian academic scholarship and Ukraine’s wartime experience within a broader international context.

The Insight Israel program included a series of lectures and discussions with leading Israeli scholars and experts, meetings with the leadership of Ariel University, Ben-Gurion University, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as well as meetings with members of the Knesset and representatives of state authorities in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ariel, and southern regions of the country. Special attention was devoted to issues of academic freedom, the role of universities in times of crisis, security challenges, disinformation, and contemporary manifestations of antisemitism.

The participation of a Ukrainian researcher in this format of international academic cooperation contributed to conveying the Ukrainian perspective on issues of political resilience, institutional development, and the preservation of democratic mechanisms under conditions of war. At the same time, the program served as a platform for establishing new professional contacts, exchanging experiences, and shaping prospects for further joint research and educational initiatives.