In June 2022, at the ELIA Leadership Symposium in Estonia, Ukrainian higher arts education leaders stressed that their number one priority was to stop the 'institutional destruction' of the arts. Not only do they believe it is essential to assist students to remain in education in their homeland, but equally important to remind them how much their artistic practice is crucial to the survival of Ukrainian cultural life.  On 15 November 2022, the Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Charitable Foundation (AACCF), in collaboration with ELIA announced a generous award to support art students and higher arts education institutions in Ukraine. This award resulted in the formation of ELIA's UAx Platform. The award coincided with the opening of a major Tate Modern exhibition of Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930 – 2017). The main tenet of the UAx Platform is one that Magdalena Abakanowicz would well understand: to enable war-affected artists to carry out one of their most important responsibilities - creating work in the face of oppression.

These focus areas reflect our approach to empowering Ukraine’s arts education sector in the time of crisis:

Building Partnerships and Community

• We create parnerships through the Sister Schools Network between Ukrainian art universities and international partner universities.
• We build a community of solidarity and mutual support, reinforcing resilience and shared commitment to cultural recovery in Ukraine.

Interntional Exchange and Networking

• We grant full ELIA membership to 15 Ukrainian arts universities, enabling them to tap into a vast network of over 285 institutions, gaining access to online resources and robust advocacy efforts.
• We enable the attendance (including travel and accommodation) of Ukrainian representatives at global ELIA events, advancing opportunities for networking and collaboration.

Capacity-Building

• We facilitate community-designed and led training programmes and workshops to enhance skills of students and educators at Ukrainian arts universities and help the institutions navigate crisis challenges.
• We foster mutual exchange and peer-learning of the entire community through webinars, community meetings and peer groups.

Student Support

• We deliver financial aid and mentoring to Ukrainian art students impacted by the war through initiatives like the UAx Abakanowicz Fellowship and Mentoring programme.
• We enable these students to continue their education and artistic development without added financial strain.

Advocacy

• We amplify Ukrainian art students and educators' voices through public statements, participation in international and national policy discussions, and campaigns that highlight the needs of the higher arts education in the time of crisis.
• We shed light on the war’s impact on students and advocate for sustained international support of this sector.

Research

• We conduct research on how initiatives like UAx can support arts universities in conflict zones.
• We document the effectiveness of programmes, such as student aid, mentorship, university parnership in supporting art universities and the students and staff in crisis.
• We collaboratewith academic partners to share findings that advocate for informed support systems and insights into education in conflict contexts.