Resilience and Recovery
Applications for Vidnova Lab are currently closed.
Context
We create a space where participants can temporarily step away from daily operational work, rethink strategies, exchange experiences with colleagues, and strengthen their contribution to both short- and long-term solutions for Ukraine’s recovery.
In this process, civil society acts as an equal participant in change. Civil society organizations have the trust of their communities, which allows them to quickly identify real needs, test solutions, and turn them into effective practices. This is how strong environments for civic initiatives are formed—combining innovation, sensitivity to context, and the ability to adapt to change.
Vidnova Lab supports professionals who combine analysis, empathy, and action. You design projects, shape shared narratives, and build partnerships both within the country and internationally, strengthening the role of civil society in reconstruction.
At the centre of Vidnova Lab are people and communities, because you have invaluable experience in working through challenges and adapting your everyday work to the realities of your sector. Vidnova Lab strengthens the capacity to exchange this knowledge within the cohort and translate it into solutions.
About
We are looking for people who are responsible for the development of their teams, communities, or institutions and who at the same time want to see their work as part of a broader professional environment and ecosystem of solutions.
The program is aimed at professionals working in fields such as:
- Participatory urban development
- Green recovery
- Education
- Culture
- Media
- Mental health support
- Memory work
- Internally displaces communities (IDPs)
- Veteran communities
Applications for Vidnova Lab are currently closed.
Fellows Profile
This program is for you if:
- are Ukrainian and currently live in Ukraine or abroad, but your main professional activity is focused on Ukrainian communities or institutions within Ukraine
- have already implemented projects with a tangible impact for your communities in areas such as research, advocacy, development of local initiatives, or institution-building
- have a team, colleagues, or partners with whom you implement change and with whom you can share the program’s resources
- feel overloaded, yet still maintain a sense of responsibility for your field and want to understand where to move next and where your efforts will be most valuable
- are ready to participate in a six-month program that includes regular online meetings, two in-person meetings in Ukraine, and the implementation of one strategic initiative.
Important
Vidnova Lab is designed for professionals whose primary work takes place in Ukraine. Therefore, if you physically live abroad but work with Ukrainian communities, institutions, and processes inside the country, you may still apply.
Applications from professionals whose work focuses exclusively on Ukrainian communities abroad will not be considered during the selection process.
Applications for Vidnova Lab are currently closed.
Please note:
- Participation in both online and offline meetings is mandatory in order to receive fellowship and take part in the program.
- Participation requires time and emotional, and cognitive resources. At the same time, the program is designed with attention to wartime fatigue and respects different levels of engagement.
- If you have already received a fellowship through Vidnova programs (including Vidnova Fellowship EU, Vidnova Fellowship UA, or Vidnova Lab), you cannot apply again this time. The goal is to provide this opportunity to those who have not yet received this type of support.
Core Elements
Resilience Fellowship
The program includes a €3,000 fellowship for the entire duration of the program.
This funding acts as “oxygen,” temporarily easing financial pressure and creating space for thinking, learning, and testing new approaches in your work.
In wartime conditions, resilience often becomes a response to circumstances. Therefore, this support is not about “holding on even stronger,” but about restoring resources and reducing pressure, where it is most critical.
You determine your priorities. These may include mental health support, learning and professional development, time for research, team consolidation, or covering basic monthly expenses within the agreed rules for use.
The Vidnova Lab Cohort
In Vidnova Lab you join a group of 20 participants working across different sectors but facing similar challenges.
The focus is on how to maintain the quality of decisions, teams, and processes during war and reconstruction.
It is a space for exchanging practices and cross-sector thinking within civil society. For many participants, the program means:
- the feeling that “I am not alone” — others also work in similar conditions and make complex decisions every day
- access to living expertise — the opportunity to ask colleagues from other sectors for honest feedback and see your work from a different perspective
- new professional connections — between cities, sectors, and civil society communities
The experience of the previous two cohorts shows that this expert environment continues even after the program ends and becomes a long-term resource. Participants stay connected, seek consultations and second opinions, initiate joint research and projects, invite each other to events and conferences, and build partnerships across sectors.
Networking Meetings
The program includes two four-day meetings in Ukraine.
These meetings set the rhythm of the program and allow participants to dive deeper into their field and the shared ecosystem, where you work with real contexts: the people, places, tasks, and constraints that you encounter in your daily work.
The Vidnova team and invited experts offer different approaches to strategic thinking. Together with the group, you determine which approaches are most relevant for your work.
Some may focus on analyzing the environment and stakeholders, others on community narratives or scenario planning, while others concentrate on concrete project steps.
During wartime, civil society organizations often become trapped in constant crisis response, leaving little room for long-term decisions. Vidnova Lab meetings provide the opportunity to pause, structure the context, distinguish problems from symptoms, reconsider priorities together with colleagues, and see connections between sectors.
As a result, participants gain greater clarity and a clearer understanding of the next steps they can immediately implement.
Strategic Initiative
The program provides up to €4,000 for your project or research initiative within the Ukrainian context.
This funding is meant as a resource for strategic experimentation, not simply for implementing another project.
It is a space where you determine what is truly meaningful for your organization or community right now and direct your efforts toward areas where change will be most visible in your field.
The format of the initiative may vary depending on needs. It could be research mapping stakeholders and gaps, a series of meetings or roundtables in your city or region, a pilot initiative, or a new format of collaboration between teams. It may also take a public format—for example, a podcast, a series of conversations, or analytical texts.
These formats are relevant when they help the broader field clarify the issue, highlight practices and people, and remain as materials others can return to for guidance and working approaches.
You maintain autonomy over how the budget is used. We do not propose a “project for the program,” but support what is strategically important for you. The Vidnova team works alongside you to connect your idea with the needs of the ecosystem and design long-term impact.
Applications for Vidnova Lab are currently closed.
Timeline
Application opens:
March 6, 2026
Application deadline:
March 23, 2026 (23:59 Kyiv time)
Selection results:
by April 27, 2026
You can always check the number of submitted applications on the first page of the online form.
Important Dates
First Meeting
May 30–June 3, 2026 (Ukraine)
Second Meeting
Autumn 2026 (Ukraine or Berlin)
Online Meetings
June–December 2026
Fellowship Period
June–December 2026
Strategic Project Implementation
July–November 2026
For any questions or additional information, please contact us at: vidnova@wecommit.to
Impressions from the Program
After Vidnova Lab
Vidnova Alumni Network
After completing, you remain part of the Vidnova Alumni Network, which brings together participants from different programs and partner organizations in Ukraine and Europe.
The alumni community includes more than 250 people.
It is a professional environment where participants stay connected, share experience and resources, collaborate, and contribute to the recovery and development of Ukraine.
As a Vidnova Lab alumni, you gain long-term opportunities for collaboration, mutual learning, and support.
Applications for Vidnova Lab are currently closed.
Impressions from the first Vidnova Lab round
How do we remember, together?
Researcher Khrystyna Rutar explores living memory, untold stories, and the need for an inclusive culture of remembrance in post-war Ukraine.
What does radio sound like in wartime Ukraine?
From Kharkiv, Yevhen Streltsov and his team at Radio Nakypilo are reviving local broadcasting and documenting stories that the world needs to hear—right from the frontline.
Environmental recovery can’t wait.
Climate activist Yuliia Melnyk of Ekoltava is tackling wartime destruction, waste and pushing for reforms that protect biodiversity, fight ecocide, and secure a just, green future.
Recovery must include everyone.
Stanislava Artiomova, founder of Art of Aid, explains why true recovery means giving vulnerable communities—not just support, but a voice in decision-making.
Recovery starts in our spaces and in our communities.
Architect Olha Sukha of MC6 Residency shares her vision for rebuilding, adapting spaces for people with disabilities and fostering awareness through dialogue.
How do we rebuild education during war?
Dmytro Hinaliuk, head of NGO Youth Sails, shares how young Ukrainians are reclaiming schools, catching up on lost learning, and rethinking education with limited resources.
Rebuilding isn’t just bricks and mortar. It’s about democracy and inclusion.
From Kharkiv, Anna Lytovka from Spatial Development Bureau SPACES calls for transparent recovery where communities help shape the spaces they live in.
Partners & Supporters
