Networking/Partnership

Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine is working on an innovative living-learning facility - National Unity Center.

Over the past two years, due to the challenges of war and a deepening demographic crisis, adult education has become critically important in Ukraine. The war has created an urgent need for veterans and internally displaced persons to rapidly retrain and adapt to new professions. At the same time, new leaders of communities, nonprofit and volunteer organizations, small and medium-sized businesses, and public institutions require professional, values-based education to lead recovery and long-term transformation.

In response, Ukrainian Catholic University has launched the School of Integral Development to scale short-term, lifelong learning programs both geographically and in terms of reach. The School offers flexible formats—from online courses and micro-credentials to summer schools and intensive in-person programs—designed for working professionals. By 2030, UCU aims to reach 100,000 learners annually through UCU Online and 10,000 participants in in-person programs.

The School of Integral Development will be housed in the new Unity Center, a purpose-built academic and civic space designed to foster encounter, dialogue, and collaboration. The Center will bring together veterans, internally displaced persons, entrepreneurs, civil society leaders, and public sector professionals to advance Ukraine’s recovery and the healing of war-related trauma. It will combine modern educational facilities with temporary residential accommodations for participants and faculty, ensuring accessible, inclusive, and dignified infrastructure for lifelong learning.

The Unity Center is being designed by the internationally renowned architectural firm Behnisch Architekten, known for sustainable, human-centered academic buildings, including the Sheptytsky Center at UCU and projects for Harvard University. The building will integrate classrooms, co-working spaces, meeting rooms, a chapel, café, and sheltered learning areas, creating a resilient and community-oriented environment aligned with the principles of sustainability, beauty, and inclusion.