Foundation backs Ukrainian language course at Department of Slavonic Studies, Cambridge University

London, 23rd February, 2007 – The Head of the Cambridge University Committee for Russian and East European Studies, Dr. Hubertus Jahn, announced the sponsorship of the Department of Slavonic Studies’ Ukrainian language course by the DF Foundation commencing from the Spring Term 2007.

The introductory Ukrainian course is a University of Cambridge piloted scheme for learners with little or no previous knowledge of Ukrainian, which successfully ran last year. It attracted significant interest in 2006 and the sponsorship agreement with the DF Foundation will provide the necessary funding for the course’s development. Circa 10 students are expected to benefit from the course this year.

The Department of Slavonic Studies at Cambridge University is keen to introduce as many Slavic languages as possible. Professor Simon Franklin, the Head of the Department of Slavonic Studies, commented: “We see the introduction of the Ukrainian language as one of the most important next steps for the Department, as there was no previous tradition of Ukrainian studies in the UK.”

Robert Shetler-Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Group DF, commenting on behalf of the DF Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this initiative in Cambridge. The objective of the DF Foundation is to support a broad range of domestic and international Ukrainian philanthropic and cultural interests, and the development of Ukrainian language teaching around one of the world’s leading academic institutions is an exciting initiative for us.”

Group DF is an international holding company for a range of energy, infrastructure and chemicals businesses based across Eastern, Central and Western Europe. The DF Foundation is a privately owned body supporting domestic and international Ukrainian philanthropic and cultural interests around the world.

For more information:

Group DF

Contact email: info@groupdf.com