Iranian students and researchers affected by the conflict in their country have received psychological support in recent days, while Ukrainian students impacted by the war have access to a dedicated aid line to continue their studies

According to the latest UNHCR report from June 2025, there are 123.2 million people forcibly displaced worldwide due to persecution, conflict, human rights violations, and public disorder. The historical moment the world is experiencing is critical, with overlapping crises: the first major displacement crisis was in Syria, in 2011; it was followed by Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ukraine, Palestine and, in recent weeks, the crisis that has erupted in Iran.

These emergency situations also affect the URV community, which includes 53 students and teaching/research staff from Iran. For this reason, URV Solidària has reached out to all of them to find ways to alleviate the consequences of the Iranian government’s repression. Joan Fuster, a technician at the unit, notes that while they may not “legally” be classified as displaced persons or refugees yet, they are facing the same challenges.

Psychological care, financial aid and awareness

Ahmad Rahdari, a PhD researcher in the Department of Computer Engineering and Mathematics, describes the situation: “For nearly two consecutive weeks, many of us had no news from our families and loved ones in Iran due to the shutdown of the internet and international communications, which placed the country in a state of almost complete digital blackout. Given the news and reports we were hearing, this caused extreme distress. Some members of our community have also lost close relatives and are currently grieving”.

In response, URV Solidària channeled aid requests to the University’s Psychological Care Service, and is currently working on financial solutions for those whose family support from Iran has been cut off or made impossible by the current situation. Rahdari explains that “a number of students are financially supported by their families in Iran, and the current situation has made this support extremely difficult or impossible, creating serious problems for them”.

Other members of the Iranian academic community at the URV provide a broader perspective on the current situation in Iran in this article.

Emergency protocol

The aid contingent is possible thanks to two key frameworks that the University has in order to activate the necessary resources in case of an emergency. On one hand, the Protocol for social accompaniment for special vulnerability, humanitarian emergency and refuge at the URV establishes what any unit or member of the University must do if they receive a demand for extraordinary help from students, teaching and research staff or administrative and service staff in a situation of extreme vulnerability or humanitarian emergency, with special attention to refugees or people in a comparable situation. URV Solidària is responsible for channeling the measures to guarantee access to basic services and attend to their needs with criteria of equity.

Joan Fuster highlights that the cases are diverse, ranging from students on campus to those in hybrid or distance learning programs located directly in conflict zones. Recently, this framework even helped cover the final payments for a Palestinian student completing her PhD.

On the other hand, all Catalan universities have, since November 2025, a common protocol of guidelines for the academic reception of refugees or assimilated people.

Open call for Ukrainian students

“We are at a very critical moment, in which one crisis overlaps the previous one and this is here to stay,” points out Fuster. For this reason, beyond the containment of the emergency, the URV has other lines of aid, such as the call for tuition grants for students affected by the conflict in Ukraine who began their studies at the University with the help of the funds provided by the Spanish Ministry of Education over the last three academic years.

Currently there are six Ukrainian students continuing their studies at the URV with University scholarships, but the call remains open throughout the academic year until the budget is exhausted.

Cooperation projects by the University community

Another line of available aid is the one that finances development cooperation projects led by members of the URV community. It aims to transfer knowledge and technology developed by the University staff and students focused on the eradication of poverty, the promotion of a culture of peace, gender equality and the protection of the environment and human rights. The rules establish as preferred countries those identified as geographical priorities in the annual development cooperation plans of the Catalan Governmenmt.

All available resources can be found on the URV Solidària website.