Kick-off Meeting of the International Research Project LEEPS: Leadership Laboratory for Enhanced Excellence in the Public Sector

On 25–29 May 2026, the consortium kick-off meeting of the international project LEEPS — Leadership Laboratory for Enhanced Excellence in the Public Sector — took place in Riga, hosted by Riga Nordic University.

LEEPS is an interdisciplinary UK–Ukraine–Latvia research initiative aimed at developing gender-responsive public leadership models, strengthening institutional resilience, promoting ethical digital and AI-based solutions in public administration, and preparing joint international research applications.

The project is implemented with the support of the Cormack Consultancy Group TWINNING Programme’s Seed Fund for Research Excellence. Its implementation period is 10 months, from 1 May 2026 to 28 February 2027.

The project consortium includes partner institutions from three countries: Coventry University (United Kingdom), Alfred Nobel University (Ukraine), Riga Nordic University (Latvia), and Kyiv School of Public Administration named after Sergii Nyzhnyi (Ukraine) as an associated partner of the project.

During the kick-off meeting, the participants discussed the project governance structure, work packages, implementation timeline, research framework, action plan, pilot methodology, communication strategy, LEEPS visual identity, and opportunities for the further development of the consortium through Horizon Europe.

A dedicated part of the meeting was also devoted to the presentation of the LEEPS project branding, including the logo concept, logo symbolism, colour palette, logo variations, presentation template, digital communication rules, official social media channels, and recommended hashtags to ensure a consistent visual presence of the project in the international academic space.

The partners also held a strategic discussion on the development of a future international consortium for the preparation of grant applications to Horizon Europe, as well as for the Erasmus Mundus Design Measures call. The discussion covered potential thematic areas, possible structures of future applications, distribution of roles among partner institutions, and prospects for developing joint educational and research initiatives.

The event was attended by representatives of the partner organisations and invited participants, including: Olexandr Smyrnov, Director of the Ukraine Twinning project, Cormack Consultancy Group; Deniss Djakons, Rector of Riga Nordic University; Michaelina Jakala, Coventry University; Chas Morrison, Coventry University; Sokolova Viktoriia, Alfred Nobel University; Antonina Djakona, Riga Nordic University; Nataliia Shpak, Alfred Nobel University; Volodymyr Momot, Alfred Nobel University; Richard Tomlins, Alfred Nobel University.

A dedicated part of the meeting focused on the research paper “A Multi-Dimensional Composite Resilience Index for Ukrainian Public Administration Under Conflict Conditions”, presented by Volodymyr Momot and Viktoriia Sokolova from Alfred Nobel University.

LEEPS aims to transform Ukraine’s crisis governance experience into evidence-based leadership models, practical tools for the public sector, and training materials for future leaders. Expected project outputs include a joint academic publication, materials for Scopus / Web of Science submission, research seminars, an international conference presentation, a Horizon Europe concept note, a policy toolkit for public administration practitioners, training modules, and a pilot HR workflow model integrating gender sensitivity and ethical AI use.

The LEEPS project is an important step towards building resilient, fair, and responsible public governance models that can support Ukraine’s recovery and contribute to the broader European and international academic community.