Given that:
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CLUSTER network acknowledges the role of universities as a vehicle for peace and resilience, and cherishes a climate of open collaboration and cooperation as well as solidarity;
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CLUSTER network recognises that the successful realisation of its mission depends on the intensity of collaboration between all members and the strength of each member’s commitment to contribute to the network;
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CLUSTER, as a multinational network of publicly funded universities, recognizes the importance of compliance with the policies and legal or regulatory frameworks developed at governmental and university level;
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Several CLUSTER members’ governments recently introduced sanctions as an important signal against the Russian government’s decision to invade Ukraine and have instructed the universities to suspend all forms of institutional collaboration with Russian and Belarusian HEI;
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All CLUSTER members continue and, in some cases, reinforce their efforts to support students, researchers and staff from all nationalities who are currently in their institutions.
It was therefore decided by CLUSTER Network:
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To suspend any institutional collaboration between the CLUSTER network and all Russian and Belarusian HEIs as long as any CLUSTER member will be required to do so;
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That this will not prevent individual researchers, staff and students from CLUSTER universities to connect with individual researchers, staff and students from Russia and Belarus universities.
This statement does not represent the individual members’ positions and is not binding on the individual CLUSTER members’ policies regarding bilateral cooperation with Russian and Belarusian universities.