Through the Culture Sync programme, the British Council offered grants of up to £10,000 to support the integration of British cultural content and expertise into public cultural events in Ukraine — fostering collaboration between Ukrainian cultural organisations and their UK counterparts across all sectors of the creative industries.
Submitted projects could be delivered in physical, digital or hybrid formats and were required to reflect the current Ukrainian context. Particular attention was paid to proposals embracing the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion, and to initiatives engaging women, young people and underrepresented communities.
We are pleased to announce the projects selected for funding under the 2026 Culture Sync programme.
Museums
Reclaiming the History
Institute for the Development of Kryvyi Rih
A British–Ukrainian decolonisation art project critically rethinking the narratives of Kryvyi Rih's Museum of History and Local Lore. UK museum expert Neil Titman provides mentoring on decolonial analysis of exhibits, while Ukrainian specialists deliver lectures. Five artists selected through open competition will create new works engaging with the museum's archives and space, culminating in a public exhibition.
May – July 2026 | Hybrid
CMYK: String-Bow Rave
CMYK Rave
CMYK brings traditional Ukrainian music into living cultural circulation by pairing folk bands with electronic producers. For the first time, CMYK will travel beyond Kyiv to Korosten, Zhytomyr Oblast, performing as part of the local Derun Day festival. The line-up combines Polissya folk bands, an authentic rural ensemble from Volhynia, and a British sound producer from the Soundcamp collective.
July – Oct 2026 | Live
Photography
Peer to Peer: UK/Ukraine
Ukrainian Photography NGO
A one-day symposium in Lviv bringing together practitioners, curators, archivists, and students around the theme of New Photography Practices. Organised in partnership with Open Eye Gallery (Liverpool) and the University of Salford, the event features thematic panels on photography and social interaction, war imagery, ecology, and decolonisation of Eastern European archives. Three UK experts attend in person; further speakers join online.
May 2026 | Hybrid
DOCU/SYNTHESIS 2026: British and Ukrainian Media Art
Docudays UA
Performing Arts
Opera Bridge Lab: Programme for Theatre Directors
OperaBridge Ukraine
A pilot laboratory for opera directing in Ukraine, addressing the lack of systematic professional education in the field. Young Ukrainian theatre directors receive intensive practical mentoring from leading UK specialists, including the Artistic and Executive Directors of Northern Opera Group and the Head of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House. Participants work on opera excerpts, developing skills in dramaturgy and music direction.
Apr – Nov 2026 | Hybrid
Heritage
Satirical Graphics from the Khanenko Museum Collection
Khanenko Foundation
An international research project studying 59 works of 18th-century British satirical graphics held in the Khanenko Museum, Kyiv. Experts from the Victoria and Albert Museum, National Portrait Gallery, and British Cartoon Archive contribute to attribution, contextual analysis, and digitisation. Two Ukrainian specialists travel to London for a research visit. Outcomes include a bilingual academic publication, an online database, and video interviews with British scholars.
Apr 2026 – Jan 2027 | Hybrid