Minister of Science and Higher Education Jarosław Gowin met with Ukrainian Minister of Education and Science Liliya Hrynevych. "We agreed to sign a new agreement between our ministries and we will work on the text of this agreement" - Liliya Hrynevych told reporters after Thursday's meeting. "Recently we had changes in governments in Ukraine and in Poland. Therefore it is very important to meet and discuss our positions, our future cooperation" - she added.

"Strengthening cooperation in the field of science and higher education is certainly in the interest of Ukraine and Poland. The Polish and Ukrainian governments have the same goals in matters related to universities. We should make better use of the channels of cooperation that already exist, and share experiences with each other. In some respects, we Poles can share both positive and negative experiences with reforms that we have conducted. In other respects, we want to learn from the experience of our friends in Ukraine" - commented Minister of Science and Higher Education Jarosław Gowin.

Liliya Hrynevych explained that a new law on higher education is now being introduced in Ukraine. "I think there are many positive aspects that we can draw from one another. Soon we will have an agency to evaluate education. In Poland, such agency is already operating and this is one of the items of our cooperation" - emphasised the Ukrainian minister.

She recalled that Ukraine had recently ratified its agreement for the association to Horizon 2020. "We are interested in a cooperation of our universities in the framework of Horizon 2020. In cooperation with Polish institutions and universities we can achieve greater success in this programme" - she noted.

"We also discussed on anti-plagiarism activities. This is a very important issue for Ukraine, we are also preparing a repository of scientific texts and can share our experience on how to implement anti-plagiarism mechanisms at universities" - Hrynewycz emphasised.

She announced that on the agenda of Polish-Ukrainian talks was also the issue of double diplomas between Polish and Ukrainian universities and the exchange of students and academic staff. "We have strong universities, we should expand the university mobility opportunities for students, for example in Erasmus+. Exchange between scientists is not quite symmetrical. If we ensure this mobility also among professors, lecturers, it will be conducive to rapprochement of our education systems and making our universities - more European" - she added.