This project builds on an earlier phase completed in 2023, which laid the foundations for emergency digitisation in Ukraine. That first phase delivered a dedicated Manual on Emergency Digitisation, essential digitisation equipment, pilot digitisation projects in several key archival centres (including Kherson, Chernihiv, Mykolayiv, and the Central State Audiovisual and Electronic Archive of Ukraine), and specialised online training workshops. The lessons learned directly informed the design, scale, and practical focus of the project now concluded.
From 2024 to 2025, the project delivered two cycles of online training (January–February and May), engaging more than 60 archivists from 30 Ukrainian institutions. Across 12 sessions, participants received practical guidance on digitisation workflows, registers of digitised content, digital preservation planning, and emergency stabilisation of at-risk materials. Training was delivered primarily in Ukrainian by experts Andrew Chernevych, Maryna Chernyavska, Amira Aly, and Konstantin Kartuzov, supported by real-time interpretation and an online learning platform providing access to recordings and resources.
The project culminated in an onsite workshop held in Warsaw from 16 to 19 September 2025, hosted by the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN). Twenty-six participants from 25 archives took part in hands-on training, emergency response simulations, conservation-focused sessions, and peer exchange. Feedback from the online training was directly addressed during the workshop, enabling participants to refine their institutional digitisation project proposals with expert support.
At this seminar we gained very interesting and much-needed experience in practical work, building contacts, exchanging best practices, and learning – this is very useful and very necessary for the development both of the individual and of archival work in general. I was particularly impressed by trainer Amira Sadik Aly’s personal experiences, when she told us about evacuation in crisis conditions, how to do it. We do not yet have such experience ourselves, but it was valuable and very good – we will take it into account in our work, should we ever, God forbid, need it. Trainer Andrew Chernevych also added many interesting points in his accounts of how to use digital equipment and digital technologies; some of his points were so precise that we really need to pay special attention to them. So international cooperation is very good, and the exchange of experience is useful. We will apply this in our work.
– Antonina Alkhimova
Archival Department of the Shostka District State Administration
For us, and for me personally, the experience of archives—both in Ukraine and abroad—has been very interesting. I was particularly impressed by the equipment and the approach to digitising archives, which we encountered during this training. The equipment was fascinating, much of it we were seeing for the first time, and it made us realise how much there is for us to learn. I believe this will be a very valuable experience both for me and for our archive.
– Olena Nastasenko
Head of Information Technology Sector, State Archive of the Kherson Region
In parallel, the project delivered concrete tools. A template list of digitisation equipment was developed and refined in close consultation with Ukrainian archives and the State Archival Service of Ukraine (SAS), followed by a prioritisation exercise to adapt to revised procurement budgets. The project also delivered an updated Manual on Emergency Digitisation, including a new section on digital preservation, developed collaboratively by experts, ICA reviewers, and participants.
As conditions on the ground continue to evolve, discussions on equipment needs remain ongoing, with an equipment procurement component coordinated by ALIPH and SAS.
The project’s outcomes were shared with the international archival community at the ICA Congress Barcelona 2025, during the panel Archives in Times of Conflict, highlighting the initiative as a model of international cooperation in safeguarding heritage during crisis.
“Closing this project is both a milestone and a responsibility,” said Joana Bagano-Nuque, ICA Project Coordinator of the Project in Support of Ukrainian Archives. “What has defined this work is the resilience and professionalism of Ukrainian archivists. By listening closely and working collaboratively, we were able to deliver training and tools that are practical, relevant, and grounded in reality. The knowledge and networks built through this project will continue to support archives well beyond its conclusion.”
Although the project has now formally concluded, its outcomes remain active through ICA’s continued support to Ukrainian archives. Partner institutions will retain access to sustainable training resources via ICA’s learning platform, alongside continued assistance in the procurement of essential archival equipment. These efforts reflect ICA’s long-term commitment to supporting archives in Ukraine and worldwide in protecting documentary heritage in times of crisis.
