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Recibido: 2025-06-04 Aceptado: 2025-07-28
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Innovation vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human capital: The
Erasmus + case and its impact in Ukraine (2016-2024)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16905118
Olena Golovnina
1
Correo: marlendi2@i.ua
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2272-9233
National University of Bioresources and Nature Management of Ukraine. Kyiv, Ukraine
Mykola Denysenko
2
Correo: profden3@gmail.com
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8767-9762
Volodymyr Vynnychenko Central Ukrainian State University, Ukraine
Iryna Grydzhuk
3
Correo: iragrid77@gmail.com
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3036-6356
National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Kyiv, Ukraine
Iryna Kovshova
4
Correo: iryna.kovshova@ukma.edu.ua
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9013-0180
National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Kyiv, Ukraine
Abstract
Education can serve as a civilizational communication strategy through the
consensual transmission of values such as human rights, democracy and
sustainable development, among other aspects, as shown by the European Union's
core programme Erasmus+. In this sense, through a hermeneutical methodology
together with the documentary research technique, situated in a constructivist
1
Doctor Sciences (Economics), Associate Professor of the Department of Marketing and International Trade.
2
Doctor of Economics, Professor, Habilitated Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor of Economic Sciences
(Republic of Poland).
3
PhD of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor, associate professor of the Department of Marketing and
Business Management. National.
4
Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor, Department of Marketing and Business Management.
Sección: Artículo científico 2026, enero-junio, año 6, No. 11, 402-439
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
Página
403
epistemological perspective, the objective of this research is to critically analyze
the strategic innovation vision of the Erasmus+ program as a multifaceted
mechanism of international, cultural and educational partnership in the
development of Ukrainian human capital during the historical period 2016-2024.
simultaneously evaluating its transformative impact on the national educational
landscape and on the strengthening of the country's professional capacities. In
conclusion, it is stated that the transformative experiences of Erasmus+ must be
understood, philosophically, as concrete manifestations of a broader civilizational
strategy, functioning as mechanisms for the construction of alternative identities
that allow Ukraine to escape the geographical and historical determinisms that
seek to confine it to spheres of Russian influence, alien to its authentic democratic
aspirations for development and national self-determination.
Keywords: Erasmus+, education programme, social capital, international
partnership, innovation vision, Ukraine.
Visión de innovación estratégica de asociación internacional,
cultural y educativa en el ámbito del proyecto de capital humano:
Erasmus+ y su impacto en Ucrania (2016-2024)
Resumen
La educación puede servir de estrategia de comunicación civilizacional mediante
la transmisión consensuada de valores como los derechos humanos, la democracia
y el desarrollo sostenible, entre otros, como lo muestra el programa central de la
Unión Europea Erasmus +. En este sentido, mediante una metodología
hermenéutica junto a la técnica de investigación documental, situada en una
perspectiva epistemológica constructivista, el objetivo de esta investigación
consiste en analizar críticamente la visión de innovación estratégica del programa
Erasmus+ como mecanismo multifacético de asociación internacional, cultural y
educativa en el desarrollo del capital humano ucraniano, durante el período
histórico 2016-2024, evaluando simultáneamente su impacto transformador en el
panorama educativo nacional y en el fortalecimiento de las capacidades
profesionales del país. A modo de conclusión se afirma que, las experiencias
transformadoras de Erasmus+ deben comprenderse, filosóficamente, como
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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404
manifestaciones concretas de una estrategia civilizacional más amplia, que
funciona como mecanismos de construcción de identidades alternativas que
permiten a Ucrania escapar de los determinismos geográficos e históricos que
pretenden confinarla en esferas de influencia rusa, ajena a sus aspiraciones
democráticas auténticas de desarrollo y autodeterminación nacional.
Palabras clave: Erasmus+, programa de educación, capital social, asociación
internacional, visión de innovación, Ucrania.
Introduction
Although it is a commonplace to affirm it, education constitutes the
fundamental pillar on which the contemporary European civilizational project is
built, representing much more than the simple mechanical transmission of
traditional academic knowledge. In this transformative context, typical of the
digital age, European education systems are consolidating themselves as
primordial architectures of a democratic society that finds its essence in the
unwavering defence of universal human rights, sustainable scientific-
technological progress and diverse cultural preservation (Council of the EU,
2023).
In the domains of the European Union, individual freedom emerges as a
supreme value that allows each citizen to develop his or her maximum human
potential without interference from arbitrary or authoritarian forces that restrict his
or her integral development to be and do in accordance with the purposes of his or
her life project. As Jafari et al. (2012) argue, the holistic approach to education
transcends national borders to become the foundation of a shared European
identity, based on strong democratic principles and mutual respect among the most
diverse cultures. Ultimately, the permanent construction of an educational Europe
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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represents a civilizational paradigm that aspires to serve as an inspiring model for
the rest of the contemporary world.
The traditional concept of human capital has undergone, in the words of
Goldin (2016), a profound epistemic metamorphosis, evolving towards the more
complex and dynamic notion of human talent, which encompasses cognitive,
emotional, creative, and ethical dimensions of integral personal development. In
this sense, contemporary educational processes are configured as catalysts for the
continuous development of all the capacities inherent to the human person,
enhancing not only specialized technical skills, but also transversal skills essential
for active civic life.
When an attempt is made to reproduce human talent, education reveals itself
as a genuine transforming force of social, economic and political reality, capable
of shaping a critical, reflective and participatory citizenship that assumes the
historical responsibility of building its own collective reality. At the same time,
any comprehensive education programme must generate, under certain conditions,
a highly skilled and versatile productive force, equipped with the necessary skills
to promote the integral economic, social and cultural development of Europe. This
educational duality, between citizenship training and professional preparation,
represents the perfect synthesis for building prosperous, inclusive and
democratically mature societies.
In this common thread, the Erasmus+ programme is shown to be the most
ambitious and transformative strategic initiative of the European Union in the field
of international educational cooperation, which translates into an innovative
mechanism for building academic, cultural and professional bridges between
European nations and associated countries (Delegation of the European Union to
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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Ukraine, 2024). As a multinational educational platform, Erasmus+ transcends
student mobility alone to become a complex ecosystem for the exchange of
knowledge, innovative pedagogical methodologies and institutional best practices
that strengthen global educational quality.
In the specific context of Ukraine, Erasmus+ has acquired an extraordinary
geopolitical and humanitarian dimension, functioning as an instrument for
European integration and strengthening the country's institutional resilience. In the
words of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine (2024), Ukrainian
participation in this programme has facilitated the modernisation of its education
systems, the internationalisation of its academic institutions and the training of a
new generation of professionals with a European perspective. This is a strategic
partnership process that has proven to be key to consolidating European
democratic values on Ukrainian territory and, at the same time, to substantially
improving the country's socio-economic development prospects.
During the period 2016-2024, Erasmus+ has deployed a multidimensional
educational support strategy in Ukraine that ranges from mass academic mobility
to the implementation of long-range institutional cooperation projects, benefiting
more than 33,000 Ukrainian citizens who have actively participated in these
exchange programmes (Erasmus+, 2025). For what it means, this initiative has
transcended geographical and political barriers to materialize concrete European
solidarity, especially during the most challenging moments of recent Ukrainian
history. The program has facilitated the printing of more than 1.5 million
textbooks in Ukrainian, ensuring access to quality educational materials,
regardless of adverse geopolitical circumstances.
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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European university alliances have incorporated approximately 40
Ukrainian higher education institutions, creating transnational academic networks
that strengthen collaborative research and pedagogical innovation (Delegation of
the European Union to Ukraine, 2024). This transformative impact is reflected,
not only in quantitative indicators of participation, but mainly in the qualitative
improvement of the living conditions, professional opportunities and prospects of
thousands of young Ukrainians (Erasmus+, 2025a). Therefore, it can be said that
the Ukrainian experience with Erasmus+ demonstrates how education can serve
as a tool for building peace, democracy and shared prosperity, even in contexts of
high geopolitical complexity.
The general objective of this research is to critically analyze the strategic
innovation vision of the Erasmus+ programme, as a multifaceted mechanism of
international, cultural and educational partnership in the development of
Ukrainian human capital, during the historical period 2016-2024, simultaneously
evaluating its transformative impact on the national educational landscape and on
the strengthening of the country's professional capacities.
In terms of its content, this article is structured in four central sections that
guarantee a systematic and rigorous analysis of the phenomenon under study. The
first section develops an exhaustive and critical review of the fundamental
contributions of the existing academic literature on international educational
cooperation and student mobility programs, establishing, simultaneously, the
theoretical foundations that conceptually support all the research.
The second section presents the research methodology adopted, including
the study design, data collection and analysis techniques, source selection criteria,
and results validation procedures used. The third part constitutes the analytical
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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core of the work, where the results obtained are analyzed, interpreted and critically
discussed, establishing significant theoretical connections and contrasting the
findings with the pre-existing specialized literature. Finally, the fourth section
presents the main conclusions of the study and recommendations for future lines
of research in this emerging field that intertwines, all things being equal,
education, human capital and contemporary geopolitical realities.
1. Theoretical foundation and literature reviewed
In general, constructivist theories applied to international educational
cooperation recognize, as Toprak (2006) explains, that student mobility programs
operate as spaces of social construction where participants develop new academic
and cultural identities through intercultural interaction. The constructivist
perspective emphasizes, therefore, that learning emerges from collaborative and
reflective processes, where students and academics actively reconstruct their
cognitive frames of reference when confronted with diverse educational systems.
Wang (2025) develops the Triple-A TNE Partnership Framework conceptual
framework that identifies agility, adaptability, and alignment as fundamental
capabilities to navigate intercultural challenges in transnational education,
evidencing how educational institutions respond dynamically to disruptions, while
negotiating structural differences.
The constructivist approach shows that international educational
cooperation transcends the transfer of knowledge to become, at each moment of
the teaching-learning processes, a transformative process of construction of shared
meanings. But, in addition, constructivist theoretical frameworks demonstrate that
international educational associations function as laboratories of pedagogical
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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innovation where new modalities of meaningful learning are recreated, which
respond to the heterogeneous realities of specific cultural contexts.
For their part, and as Kulesa and Brantuo (2021) state, critical theories of
education question the asymmetrical power structures that characterize North-
South educational partnerships, revealing with concrete empirical evidence how
certain models of cooperation perpetuate neocolonial dynamics. In contrast,
Oberhauser (2019) proposes a critical feminist pedagogy that challenges the
racialized, neoliberal, and colonizing dimensions of higher education, proposing
relational and interactive forms of global learning that promote the ethics of
mutual understanding rather than paternalistic relationships that subordinate
women. For this researcher, in today's world it is clear that:
Neoliberalism has profoundly impacted the structures and practices of
higher education. Over the past several decades, financial models in
higher education have shifted from an emphasis on public support and
funding to more corporate practices in what Slaughter and Rhoades
(2004) label academic capitalism. With reduced public funding,
universities are more focused on income-generating models, private
and corporate fund raising, and entrepreneurial activities (David and
Clegg, 2008; Heyman, 2007). The neoliberal turn in the academy is also
linked to populist movements and nativist rhetoric that attack critical
and cross-cultural aspects of higher education (Sudbury and Okazawa-
Rey, 2009; Sultana, 2018). In many cases, critical perspectives on
global issues and diverse social identities provide important counter-
narratives to this populist rhetoric and extremist conservative
viewpoints. (Oberhauser, 2019, p. 753)
In addition to the above, the critical perspective examines how international
educational associations can reproduce implicit hierarchies that privilege Western
forms of knowledge over local epistemologies. Today, critical approaches reveal
that the decolonization of educational partnerships requires recognizing non-
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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Western forms of knowledge and authority, questioning inherited colonial
structures that influence access to higher education. As stated by Kulesa and
Brantuo (2021), critical pedagogy emphasizes the social need to build transparent,
inclusive, and non-hierarchical relationships that allow the empowerment of
historically marginalized communities in international academic exchange
processes.
Within the framework of the critical, humanist and constructivist
pedagogical tradition, the theoretical frameworks of the Bologna process have
fundamentally transformed the architecture of European higher education,
establishing principles of harmonisation that facilitate academic mobility and the
mutual recognition of qualifications (European Commission, S/D). More
precisely, the implementation of the Bologna process in Ukraine since 2005 has
generated significant structural transformations that include the adoption of the
three-cycle education system, the implementation of the European Credit Transfer
and Accumulation System (ECTS), and the development of quality assurance
frameworks, aligned with European standards (Delegation of the European Union
to Ukraine, 2024).
In this context, Bordogna (2020) analyzes how social capital develops
among operational academics who implement international collaborative
programs, identifying that networks of trust, cooperation, and mutual respect are
fundamental for the sustainability of educational associations. In line with
Bordogna (2020), Nikolaeva's (2017) research on the Bologna process shows that,
beyond the technical aspects of curricular harmonisation, these frameworks
facilitate the construction of shared European academic identities and promote
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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common democratic values between the EU and Ukraine, hence their geostrategic
value.
As it is logical to imagine, the implementation of the Bologna process in
Ukraine indicates to public policymakers in education that structural reforms must
be complemented by profound cultural transformations, to achieve a true
integration of the European Higher Education Area.
In a synthesis of the theoretical contributions reviewed, significant
convergences between constructivist and critical perspectives and the Bologna
process in the analysis of international educational cooperation are evidenced.
Authors such as Wang (2025), Oberhauser (2019), Bordogna (2020) and studies
on the Bologna process in Ukraine (Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine,
2024), agree that international educational associations function as complex
systems of social construction where pedagogical, political, cultural and economic
dimensions converge, which should not be omitted in scientific research on the
subject.
In this sense, the literature consulted demonstrates consensus on the
importance of social capital as an articulating element of successful associations,
while critical approaches provide analytical tools to examine the power relations
inherent in these processes that, ultimately, expand the symbolic and cultural
limits of European civilization.
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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Image 1. Diagram of connections between the different theoretical foundations of the
research.
Source: prepared by the authors (2025).
Constructivist theoretical frameworks offer optimistic perspectives on the
transformative capacities of educational cooperation, while critical theories
provide ideas of distance and caution about the reproduction of systemic
inequalities in education. But, in any case, the Bologna process from which the
Erasmus+ programme emerges, emerges as a paradigmatic case that illustrates
how supranational regulatory frameworks can facilitate systematic educational
cooperation, although their implementation requires adaptations sensitive to
specific local contexts as evidenced by the Ukrainian case.
Finally, the visual diagram in image 1 presents the fundamental
interconnections between the theoretical frameworks that support research on
international educational cooperation and student mobility programs. In particular,
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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the image shows how constructivist theories connect with critical pedagogy and
the Bologna process, forming an integrated conceptual network that underpins the
analysis of the Erasmus+ programme in Ukraine. What is at stake here is the
understanding of how different theoretical approaches complement and reinforce
each other to provide a solid conceptual basis that allows for a critical analysis of
international educational cooperation programs from multiple integrated academic
perspectives.
2. Methodology
It should be clarified that this research is based on a constructivist and
critical conception of education that recognizes educational processes as dynamic
and intersubjective social constructions, mediated by relations of power and
knowledge historically conditioned by the specific geopolitical contexts in which
they are developed. Interpreting Allen's (2022) contributions, the constructivist
approach allows us to understand how participants in the Erasmus+ programme
actively construct new academic and cultural identities through intercultural
interaction.
Indeed, the geopolitical scenarios in which Erasmus+ is being developed in
Ukraine during 2016-2024 are marked by historical tensions, democratisation
processes, armed conflicts and aspirations for European integration that
fundamentally condition the implementation and reception of transnational
educational initiatives.
This double theoretical perspective (constructivist and critical) allows us to
critically analyze how European educational policies operate as soft power
mechanisms that seek to promote liberal democratic values, while simultaneously
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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reproducing subtle neocolonial dynamics. Reinterpreting Derrida (1976), the
constructivist-critical methodology recognizes that international cooperation
programs are not politically neutral, but are inserted in hegemonic discursive
frameworks that require rigorous analytical deconstruction, in order to elucidate
their scope and more diverse meanings.
The aim here is to structure a hybrid epistemological model that facilitates
the comprehensive understanding of Ukrainian educational transformations, such
as complex processes of cultural negotiation, institutional resistance, and creative
adaptation to international pedagogical models. The critical-constructivist analysis
shows how Erasmus+ functions simultaneously as an instrument of genuine
cooperation and as a mechanism of European geopolitical influence in the post-
Soviet space.
On the other hand, the hermeneutical methodology constitutes the
interpretative core of this research, oriented towards the deep understanding of the
symbols, signs and cultural meanings that emerge in the texts and contexts related
to the implementation of Erasmus+, in the contemporary Ukrainian educational
landscape. A hermeneutical approach is attempted that recognizes that Ukraine
represents a paradigmatic case of civilizational transition, where legitimate
European aspirations for educational modernization converge with the
preservation of specific cultural identities and the definitive overcoming of Soviet
institutional legacies.
As Hodge (2024) points out, the hermeneutical process seeks to interpret
how official discourses, institutional narratives, participants' testimonies, and
programmatic documents reveal the inherent tensions between the adoption of
European liberal democratic values and the construction of an autonomous and
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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sovereign Ukrainian national identity. At the same time, this methodology also
allows us to decipher the multiple layers of meaning that underlie the transnational
educational policies promoted by the United States, recognizing that all
educational texts are mediated by specific historical, ideological and cultural
contexts, which condition their interpretation and practical application.
Table 1. Epistemological and methodological architecture of research
Source: prepared by the authors (2025).
The methodological structure presented synthesizes the conceptual and
operational architecture that underpins the critical analysis of the strategic
innovation of the Erasmus+ programme as a multifaceted mechanism for the
development of Ukrainian human capital, coherently articulating the
constructivist-critical epistemological foundations with the interpretative
hermeneutical methodology and the specific procedures for qualitative data
collection, analysis and validation. Table 1 illustrates how the research operates
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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from a dual theoretical base that combines the constructivist understanding of
intercultural learning processes with the critical analysis of geopolitical power
relations, allowing a sophisticated methodological approach that recognizes both
the transformative capacities and the structural limitations of international
educational cooperation programs.
The hermeneutic methodology is presented as the central articulating axis
that connects the theoretical foundations with the operational research techniques,
facilitating the deep interpretation of cultural meanings, educational symbols and
institutional contexts that characterize the implementation of Erasmus+ in the
specific Ukrainian context during the historical period analyzed. The procedures
of hermeneutical validation guarantee academic rigor through methodological
triangulation, interpretative reflexivity and systematic application of the
hermeneutical circle that allows the dialectical movement between particular and
holistic understanding of the phenomenon studied in a historical horizon, as
Gadamer (2004) argues.
3. Results, analysis and discussion in a hermeneutical key
The critical and hermeneutical analysis of the strategic innovation vision of
the Erasmus+ programme during the period 2016-2024 highlights profound
structural transformations in the Ukrainian education system that transcend the
mere implementation of collaborative projects to constitute, essentially, a set of
systematic mechanisms of institutional and cultural reconfiguration. Second data
from the European Commission (2025), the innovative strategy of the programme
is fundamentally articulated through three interconnected dimensions:
Clío. Revista de Historia, Ciencias Humanas y Pensamiento Crítico
ISSN: 2660-9037 / Provincia de Pontevedra - España
Año 6, No. 11, enero
-junio, 2026
Olena Golovnina
Mykola Denysenko
Iryna Grydzhuk
Iryna Kovshova
Innovation Vision of international, cultural and
educational partnership in the field of human
capital: The Erasmus + case and its impact in
Ukraine (2016-2024)
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- Pedagogical modernization through the adoption of European standards of
educational quality.
- The strengthening of institutional capacities through transnational networks of
academic cooperation, and;
- The construction of social capital through the sustained exchange of students,
academics and professionals.
Image 2. European Academic Union.
Fuente: European Commission, 2025.
Specifically, this multidimensional approach has generated significant
quantitative impacts, demonstrated in the participation of more than 39,000 young
Ukrainians in mobility programmes since 2022, as well as in the development of
more than 70 human capacity building projects that have linked Ukrainian
institutions with European partners in processes of comprehensive educational
transformation (European Commission, 2025). At least in official data, the
program has demonstrated a significant (exceptional) capacity for adaptation, in