Since the outbreak of the ongoing war in Ukraine, 120 000 people have applied for temporary protection in Slovakia. According to the estimates of the Migration Office, more than 60 000 of these people - primarily women and children - remain in Slovakia.

The arrival of those fleeing Ukraine has contributed to a change in the overall composition of the migrant population in Slovakia, to the development of the country's integration infrastructure, and to changes in institutional approaches to integration. In particular, closer cooperation between universities, non-governmental organisations, and national and international institutions has been established.

Universities in Slovakia implement their own activities, measures, and programmes for Ukrainian students in Slovakia and Ukraine. The Slovak Technical University (STU) joined the international project Ukrenergy with other universities, for example. The goal of this project is to strengthen teaching and learning on the energy sustainability of buildings in Ukraine, and there are plans to create a corresponding master's study programme. Further, the Ministry of the Interior and the University of Constantine the Philosopher in Nitra are collaborating on a media campaign to bring knowledge of Ukrainian culture and customs to Slovak society, as well as to highlight the economic and social contribution of expatriates to Slovak society.

UNICEF - with the support of the Office of Population, Refugees and Migration of the United States Government, the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration, and the Migration Office of the Slovak Republic, and in collaboration with the Department of Social Work, Pedagogic Faculty, Comenius University - established the Innovation Centre in April 2023. It is a training, scientific, and knowledge workplace focused on social work with those displaced from Ukraine. Faculty employees teach social workers to improve their skills and techniques to help those from Ukraine, particularly children who have experienced trauma and abuse. The teaching module is aimed at enabling social workers to map the situation quickly to identify the client's needs, to be able to refer a child to a professional psychologist or doctor if needed, and to be able to develop an individual plan for working with the child.

The deepening involvement of universities, institutions and organisations in the support of those displaced from Ukraine in Slovakia strengthens the transmission of academic knowledge and its practical application. It also serves to increase the quality and availability of relevant services, contributing to the overall improvement of integration services in Slovakia - both for those displaced from Ukraine and for those arriving from other countries.