Territorial dynamics in the Greater Region: A conversation with Oleksiy Kiryukhin

Oleksiy Kiryukhin, formerly Head of the Ukrainian-Francophone Academic Centre at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, returned to the Greater Region as UniGR-CBS Fellow at Saarland University (November–December 2025). Building on his previous collaboration with the Université de Liège in 2021 with Quentin Michel and Sylvain Marbehant, as well as his subsequent affiliation at the University of Luxembourg, he developed a methodological approach to analyzing cross-border cooperation programs and territorial dynamics in the Greater Region. In an interview with the UniGR-CBS, Oleksiy Kiryukhin presents his approach to connect with ongoing debates on territorial cohesion, cross-border governance, and sustainability.
 

During your UniGR-CBS Fellowship at Saarland University, what were your main research activities, and why was the Greater Region a particularly relevant context for your research?

Since 2022, I have regularly attended conferences and seminars at Saarland University, which has become a tradition for me. There is an excellent team of border studies specialists working there, led by Prof. Astrid M. Fellner. I was fortunate enough to participate in a fellowship at the end of 2025, which allowed me to continue my research on cross-border cooperation programs in the Greater Region. This work resulted in a UniGR-CBS Working Paper on applying dynamical systems theory to INTERREG programs, with the Greater Region serving as a case study.

This approach as an ex-ante assessment of the impact of cross-border cooperation programs was applied for the first time in Border Studies and has good prospects not only for the practice of cooperation in border areas in the Greater Region, but also for other INTERREG programs, such as the Upper Rhine program involving border areas of France, Germany and Switzerland, and, most importantly, for the successful functioning of European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs), which today largely determine the positive dynamics of various cross-border interactions in the EU.

The UniGR-CBS Fellowship enabled the modeling of cross-border resilience in the Greater Region based on results from the 2014–2020 programming period. The fellowship also enabled the systematization of a large body of scientific material, including papers, monographs, and presentations from international conferences. This encouraged me to continue my work in the Greater Region and to further refine the DyTIA methodology. The objective is to establish it as a working tool for the final stage of the INTERREG NEXT programs and, ideally, for the 2028–2034 programming period.

_{From left to right: UniGR-CBS and EMN Conference 2025: 40 Years of Schengen and ESPON Seminar in Gdańsk © Oleksiy Kiryukhin} 

You had already worked with the UniGR-CBS in 2021 and later joined the University of Luxembourg. How did this longer trajectory shape your perspective on cross-border cooperation in the Greater Region?

I first came into contact with the University of Luxembourg in 2018 at the launch conference for the INTERREG project to develop the UniGR-Center for Border Studies. In 2021, while being at the University of Liège as UniGR-CBS Fellow, I returned to present my research on dynamical systems theory and cross-border territorial development. At that time, impact assessment was still largely based on statistical analysis of completed programs and projects. A more dynamic view of territorial development was later outlined in the European Commission’s Guidance for Resilience Analysis.

This confirmed my decision to focus on the dynamics of cross-border interactions and to model the gradual accumulation of added value from cross-border cooperation, while maintaining the overall stability of cross-border systems. The Greater Region is a unique laboratory for such research, offering sufficient area and population, as well as intense cross-border relations between the four countries. Due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and my forced departure from Kharkiv, the break between my work at the University of Liège and the University of Luxembourg was short.

The Greater Region faces challenges in developing neighboring territories at the municipal level, alongside growing external pressures on migration, the environment, and energy security. From the perspective of resilience theory in dynamic systems, these issues should be addressed holistically through modeling and ex-ante assessments of the potential effects of the INTERREG program. In response, the program is expanding its scope by establishing cross-border functional zones in the most sensitive areas.

Alongside your UniGR-CBS work, you contributed to LURN, a network supporting Ukrainian researchers in Luxembourg and beyond. What was your role within LURN, and how did this engagement connect to your work in the Greater Region?

The University of Luxembourg's decision to launch a program for Ukrainian scientists in August 2022 laid the foundation for the Luxembourg-Ukrainian Research Network (LURN). Informal connections between researchers quickly evolved into a system that enabled them to expand their networks and expertise and, most importantly, to present and discuss their research with a group of 30 invited Ukrainian researchers.

A year later, we formalized the structure by creating task forces and electing two co-chairs, one from Luxembourg and one from Ukraine. At the LURN general meeting in July 2023, I was elected Executive Director, responsible for organizing regular meetings and expanding the network. Since then, participation has grown across universities, and new task forces have been created, particularly in European Law and Culture. We also support LURN through the LURN Bulletin, the preparation of a dedicated website, and regular social media updates. On 13 February 2026, I presented LURN’s work at the French Ukrainian University Forum in Metz alongside Dr Inna Ganschow.

We are currently preparing a concept to expand LURN's activities within the University of the Greater Region framework. The University of the Greater Region actively supports innovation and is interested in expanding its contacts with Ukrainian scientists, as the University of Saarland is already doing.

LURN currently represents Ukrainian scientists under temporary protection in Luxembourg and maintains links with the Ukrainian scientific diaspora in other EU countries, particularly France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, through the Ukrainian Ministry of Education. Our plans for 2026 include publishing an edited book on the mutual adaptive resilience of Ukraine and the EU, as well as a research project with Luxembourgish scientists.

_{LURN 2025 Network Workshop © Oleksiy Kiryukhin}

Throughout your stay in the Greater Region, you participated in conferences and scientific debates. In what ways did these contacts influence your work?

Attending conferences and scientific debates has been an important part of my time in the Greater Region. Above all, it has given me the opportunity to meet researchers whose work I had read but had not yet met in person. These encounters are always inspiring and give fresh impetus to academic creativity. It has also allowed me to reconnect with former colleagues, learn about new projects, and relate my own research approaches to broader European trends.

Moreover, both major events – the General Assemblies of the MOT and the AEBR, and the forums of the Committee of the Regions – as well as specialized conferences and workshops, are important. Overall, I have participated in more than 40 international academic events across 13 European countries. I would particularly like to emphasize the role of my colleagues at the UniGR-CBS, without whom this fantastic three-year academic journey would not have been possible at all. A huge thank you to them for their constant support and inspiration.

Although the end of my time in the Greater Region is already on the horizon, my attachment to its natural environment, my respect for my colleagues, and my admiration for their professionalism will remain with me forever. The knowledge and experience I have gained have prepared me to continue my research, wherever I may be based after March 2027.

_{From left to right: Mons 2024 and Esch-sur-Alzette 2023 © Oleksiy Kiryukhin}

Your Working Paper proposes the DyTIA approach. What problem in existing territorial impact assessment did you address, and what does dynamical systems theory add to the analysis of cross-border cooperation programs?

Drawing on my extensive practical and academic experience of studying cross-border cooperation, I was critical of the one-sided statistical approach to studying cross-border processes even a decade ago. Regression models built from statistical data from completed project cycles in cross-border cooperation programs merely confirm the results; they do not provide an opportunity to correct avoidable or mitigable mistakes through scenario-based planning.

The new methodology of dynamical territorial impact assessment (DyTIA) was conceived as an alternative to statistical analysis. This methodology is based on general dynamical systems theory, which employs a different mathematical framework. This approach is not new; it has already been used in biology and the technical sciences and has even been tested once in the assessment of historical dynamics. However, for cross-border studies and the impact of programs on the development of neighboring territories, we applied it for the first time, just as the European Commission was formulating the new resilience paradigm I mentioned at the start of the interview. This limitation becomes particularly critical in the context of an 18.6% reduction in funding for INTERREG NEXT programs for the 2021–2027 period, which requires more careful and strategic planning of interventions to achieve maximum territorial added value.

The challenges of the current European programming period (2021–2027) have clearly demonstrated the need to transition to a broader platform for assessing territorial impact, incorporating mandatory modeling of the impact of the competitive phases and of the entire programming period on the development of neighboring territories affected by INTERREG programs.

In our opinion, the basic version of the DyTIA methodology for assessing the stability/resilience of cross-border areas at the planning stage will greatly help project teams focus on the final effects of their activities while reducing overall funding for cross-border projects.

Our team first prepared a scientific paper outlining the issue of the stability/resilience of cross-border areas, then tested the initial findings at three international conferences, and only then prepared a UniGR-CBS Working Paper containing the modeling results for the previous programming period, 2014–2020. The development of the DyTIA methodology is ongoing, with the next stage expected to add two working axes and prepare a comprehensive model that reflects the complexity of processes in cross-border regions.

To conclude this interview, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my colleagues, Christian Wille and Denise Rodrigues Marafona. Without them, this fascinating academic journey would not have been possible.

The UniGR-CBS thanks Oleksiy Kiryukhin for the exchange.