Commission president expects challenges and “immense opportunities” for countries and bloc

The EU has formally opened talks with Ukraine and Moldova on the two countries joining the bloc, which could ultimately result in them influencing policy, hosting facilities and taking bigger roles in joint initiatives.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission’s president, said the move on 25 June was “very good news” and could be a “transformative moment for these two countries and for our union”.

“The path ahead will be challenging. But it is also filled with immense opportunities,” she said, explaining that the negotiations are intended to “prepare the candidates for the responsibilities of membership” with “no shortcuts”.

Charles Michel, president of the European Council of EU national leaders, said that this “historic moment” was “the result of Ukraine and Moldova’s enormous efforts to reform”.

“The transformative steps taken in areas such as rule of law, governance and judicial systems offer hope and give a clear indication of their unwavering aspiration to join the European family,” he said, but he warned that the negotiations would be “a long process”.

“Ukraine and Moldova will need to continue their work to strengthen institutions, continue combating corruption and enhance economic stability to meet the rigorous standards of full EU membership,” he said.

Research implications

EU research and innovation commissioner Iliana Ivanova congratulated the countries on social media, saying that “the opening of accession talks is good news for them and good news for the EU”.

A document setting out the EU’s position on the talks pointed out that Ukraine and Moldova are already participating in “a large number” and “a number” of EU programmes, respectively.

Both are already associate members of the Horizon Europe R&I programme, for example, which means they can win EU funding from it, host researchers supported by funders including the European Research Council and lead collaborative projects. But there are small parts of the programme—judged to have particular security implications—that are off-limits to non-EU countries.

Both countries are also part of the EU health programme, while both can benefit from “certain actions” of the bloc’s academic mobility programme Erasmus+. Ukraine is also participating in the Euratom nuclear training and research programme and the Digital Europe programme.

Science and research together comprise one of more than 30 thematic areas the negotiations will cover, with others including education and culture, intellectual property law, competition policy and statistics.

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Scholars at Risk will present award at conference for universities affected by conflict

Ukrainian academics are to be honoured with an award recognising their resilience amid the ongoing Russian invasion of their country.

A representative of Ukraine’s Mariupol State University will accept Scholars at Risk’s Courage to Think Award on behalf of “all of the scholars of Ukraine” at a conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 26 June.

SAR is an international network that defends academic freedom and the rights of researchers and students. Its award will recognise Ukrainian academics’ “courage, resilience and unwavering commitment to their teaching, research, students and higher education institutions, despite the existential threat posed by war”, SAR and the European Humanities University, which is hosting the conference, announced on 10 June.

Resilience amid destruction

Since Russia stepped up its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, at least 59 universities have been damaged and nine destroyed by Russian shelling, the organisations said, citing Ukrainian government data.

Mariupol State University was one of the first to be destroyed and now operates remotely from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, after previously being displaced during the first Russian invasion in 2014, they said.

“Yet scholarly responsibilities have increased…playing a crucial role in shaping public engagement and discourse in the country and abroad,” SAR and the European Humanities University said of the situation since 2022.

“Researchers have advocated for remote fellowships for Ukrainian scholars unable to find safe refuge abroad, collected data about damage to research infrastructure and connected fellow scholars with assistance programmes.

“Other activities include publishing special issues about Russia’s war on Ukraine in internationally renowned academic journals, fostering public engagement efforts through webinars and podcasts, attending conferences in Europe and North America and advocating for universities to support Ukrainian students and scholars.”

‘Exceptional and inspiring’

SAR executive director Robert Quinn said: “The courage and dedication of the scholars of Ukraine is both exceptional and inspiring.

“Exceptional in withstanding such a prolonged and violent assault, including repeated bombardments, occupations, and displacements on a mass scale. Inspiring in their demonstrated solidarity and creativity in supporting each other, their students, and their institutions.

“They put their careers, and at times their lives, on the line because they know that the future of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people depend in good part on research and teaching that supports rebuilding, inspires and empowers young Ukrainians, and defends Ukrainian nationality and culture against the current attempt to eradicate them.”

The awards ceremony is part of a broader three-day conference that will explore “the experience of academic communities confronted with exile due to political turmoil, repression, disasters and conflicts…from Belarus to Myanmar, Afghanistan to Ukraine, Turkey to Sudan, Nicaragua to Israel/Palestine and beyond”.

SAR is an organisation of more than 650 institutions in more than 40 countries that support academics who have been affected by war. The European Humanities University used to be based in Minsk but was forced into exile by the Belarusian government in 2004.

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Academic collaboration is vital part of reconstruction process, exchange service says

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has called for Germany to adopt a greater commitment to academic cooperation with Ukraine. 

Programmes to support university collaborations are essential for stabilising the Ukrainian education system and anchoring the country within Europe, DAAD said in a statement. 

“Russia has been waging a war of attrition in Ukraine…severely damaging the Ukrainian education and science system,” said DAAD president Joybrato Mukherjee.

“It is therefore necessary for the international community to develop concrete reconstruction plans at an early stage,” he said. “Ukraine’s path to a better future and to [membership of] the EU also leads through higher education and science.”

Reconstruction needed

German universities are already prepared to support the reconstruction of Ukrainian universities, Mukherjee said. These activities must be expanded and cross-border academic cooperation intensified, DAAD said.

It has proposed setting up a German-Ukrainian University Network to encourage academic cooperation. The network could train the experts needed to guide work on reconstructing the country and help develop a science-orientated relationship with the EU, it said.

“If Ukraine’s integration into the EU is to succeed, all those involved will need a great deal of patience,” said Mukherjee. “By permanently linking Ukrainian universities and research institutions with partners in the EU, we will ultimately increase security throughout Europe.”

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UK government invests £16 million in innovations to support the recovery of Ukraine’s energy system

The UK is backing collaborative innovation projects to support the recovery of Ukraine’s energy system as the country continues to defend itself from Russian attacks.

The UK government has invested £16 million in 13 innovation projects with the aim of rebuilding Ukraine’s energy system, displacing fossil fuels and supporting recovery once the war has ended.

The joint UK-Ukraine innovation programme comes after Russia’s war on the country has entered a new phase, with frequent drone and missile attacks on energy infrastructure.

The InnovateUkraine programme will see more than 50 UK and Ukrainian universities, businesses and civil society organisations collaborate on a range of projects. The UK government said the programme will leverage an additional £5m in private sector co-investment.

Greener future

Martin Harris, Britain’s ambassador to Ukraine, said: “I am proud that the UK continues to support the recovery of the Ukrainian energy sector, particularly after recent brutal attacks from Russia. We want to see it greener and more resilient.”

He said UK support for the projects “will help Ukraine recover in a more sustainable way”.

One of the projects is a collaboration between Aston University in the UK and the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine to make heat pumps easier to retrofit into existing home heating systems.

Other projects include battery storage solutions for renewables, a more targeted approach to harnessing geothermal energy in Ukraine and optimising the country’s bioenergy resources.

Ukraine’s minister of energy Herman Halushchenko said: “Today we have a chance to demonstrate that the struggle for energy independence is a fight for the future. The green transition goes way beyond ecology or distributed generation. For Ukraine, this is a matter of national security.”

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Funding from Horizon Europe and US philanthropic organisations has near and long-term support objectives

The European Commission and US-based philanthropic organisations have separately committed additional funding to support Ukrainian research amid the ongoing war.

On 18 April, the Commission announced that it had allocated an extra €10 million to the MSCA4Ukraine fellowship scheme, which launched in September 2022 with an initial €25m and has already supported 125 researchers.

The extra funding from the Horizon Europe programme will support at least 50 researchers who have been forced to leave Ukraine due to Russia’s invasion and missile bombardment, the Commission said, adding that the next call will open in May.

It will fund training and career development, as well as providing funding for host organisations. “Selected researchers will be able to start a new project or continue their previous work to pursue their research in any subject of their choosing,” explained the Commission.

American support

A day earlier, the US National Academy of Sciences announced that it was launching a new fund both to provide near-term support to Ukrainian researchers within and outside the country, and to help rebuild Ukrainian science and technology for the long term.

The fund is launching with about $8m (€7.5m) from the Simons Foundation and with commitments from the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation and other philanthropic organisations in the US, with an aim of raising at least $15m for three years of operations, the academy said.

Academy president Marcia McNutt said that the fund will “help ensure that Ukrainian science and technology will provide a foundation for Ukraine’s growth and development for decades to come”.

The academy will manage the fund, but will appoint an external oversight board of science and innovation experts to help steer it.

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Some destroyed research infrastructure might never be recovered, group warns

Money alone is unlikely to be able to rebuild all of Ukraine’s destroyed research infrastructure, a group supporting the academic community has warned.

A recent UN report found that it will cost more than US$1.26 billion (€1.15bn) to restore Ukraine’s public research infrastructure to the state it was in before Russia’s full-scale invasion two years ago.

But while money is needed, it will also take time—and some infrastructure may never be recovered, the Science for Ukraine group told Research Europe. “Money can only solve so much,” Michael Rose, coordinator and founding member of Science for Ukraine, said. “On the one hand, it allows to build back better, with more modern equipment…if the war finally stops. On the other hand, there is a form of research infrastructure that cannot be rebuilt.”

Rose, who is also a researcher at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, said that specialist equipment, specimens and self-made tools would not be easy to recover. “If these are destroyed, money cannot easily replace them,” he said. [They] might never be recovered. This will hurt…scientists for years to come.”

Meanwhile, Pavlo Bazilinskyy, a Ukrainian-born assistant professor at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, said he believes the UN figure is an understatement. He said that many academic institutions have had to relocate, making it hard to quantify the damage caused through a loss of human capital. 

“It may be a realistic number. But it’s also hard to assess, while the war is ongoing,” he said. 

This article also appeared in Research Europe

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Unesco analysis says 1,443 scientific buildings have been damaged or destroyed by Russian invasion

It will cost more than US$1.26 billion (€1.15bn) to restore Ukraine’s research sector to the state it was in before Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022, according to a report from the UN’s education and science agency.

During the two years of Russian bombing, at least 1,443 Ukrainian buildings belonging to 177 public scientific institutions have been damaged or destroyed, a Unesco report said on 11 March. In addition, it said more than 750 pieces of scientific equipment have been damaged or destroyed.

Universities have suffered the greatest losses, the reported study found, and would need at least $980.5 million of the $1.26bn. The remaining needs are divided between scientific ministries ($143m), sectoral science academies ($48.8m) and the National Academy of Sciences ($42.5m).

Restoring the research equipment is expected to cost around $45.9m, with 643 of the 750 pieces considered to be beyond repair.

The actual figures may be higher as buildings in territories occupied by Russia cannot be assessed, the report warned.

Prior to the invasion, Ukraine was internationally renowned in fields including computer science, nuclear physics and astronomy, the report said. Between 2015 and 2019, its total number of scientific publications increased by 45 per cent.

Forced emigration, slashed spending

Unesco commissioned the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine to carry out the study, which found that 1,518 scientists had volunteered for combat.

The report also said that 12 per cent of researchers had been forced to relocate or emigrate from the country since February 2022, along with 18 scientific institutes. Germany and Poland are hosting the highest numbers of researchers who have emigrated, it said.

The number of scientists employed by the public research sector in the country has dropped by 5.3 per cent (4,958) from 88,629 in February 2022, according to the study.

The budget of the National Academy of Sciences dropped from $238.6m in 2021 to $124.8m in 2023, while gross domestic expenditure on research as a whole in the country reportedly fell by 38.5 per cent between 2021 and 2022, from $2.02bn to $1.24bn.

Unesco director-general Audrey Azoulay called for research in Ukraine to be protected and supported.

“Scientists, engineers and other experts will be essential to the country’s recovery,” she said, adding that the sector is “a valuable source of innovation and discovery for the rest of the world”.

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Six joint projects between scientists from the Netherlands and Ukraine receive funding

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) and the National Research Foundation of Ukraine have joined forces in a bid to boost Ukrainian science amid the ongoing war with Russia. 

In total, six projects—all of which include a collaboration between Dutch and Ukrainian scientists—have been funded through the NWO with a shared budget of €110,000.

Some of the projects are directly related to the current crisis, including the development of hand prostheses and digital healthcare solutions. But others are more traditional in scope, such as an advancement in next-generation antibiotics and an examination of celestial gas movements to better comprehend dark matter. 

One project covers novel heart-disease screening methods, while another seeks to understand the physiology of thyroid disease in pregnant women. 

The diversity of topics shows the breadth of scientific cooperation between the Netherlands and Ukraine.

Advancing prosthetics

The prosthetics research is perhaps the most pertinent of the projects, given the ongoing war, which has injured more than 120,000 Ukrainians so far, according to one estimate. 

The project will bring researchers at Delft University of Technology and the National Pirogov Memorial Medical University (NPMMU) together to measure the use of, and satisfaction with, hand prostheses in Ukraine. 

The aim is to use that data to improve the design of prosthetic hands and to inform rehabilitation efforts.

“With these recent events, our work takes on extra charge, as it addresses the challenges of people who are injured or suffering from trauma,” said Serhii Kolisnyk, who will lead the NPMMU side of the project. 

“This allocation is not only a financial boost for us, but also an opportunity to collaborate with international partners, leading to knowledge exchange and innovation. 

“I am deeply committed to our research and the demonstrable improvements we hope to contribute to the wellbeing of citizens in Ukraine and beyond.” 

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Programme director urges Europe to provide help beyond emergency funding for Ukrainian researchers

Europe must adopt a longer-term approach to supporting Ukrainian academics, a prominent researcher from the country has urged two years on from Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“Ad hoc ‘Ukraine emergency’ funds…are drying up,” according to Oksana Seumenicht, programme director of the MSCA4Ukraine project at the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Berlin, and co-founder of the German-Ukrainian Academic Society and Ukrainian Academic International Network.

“The focus has now to shift towards longer-term goals,” she said in an article for the European University Association, published on 20 February.

Less reliance on emergency measures

According to Seumenicht, “well-intentioned” emergency support has helped individual Ukrainian academics, but it also “hold[s] unintended negative consequences by affecting the operational capacity of Ukrainian universities”.

For example, a fall in the number of students enrolled at Ukrainian universities, facilitated in part by funding to help them travel abroad, has led to less tuition and a drop in teaching salaries, she said.

Instead of relying on dwindling emergency funds, support for Ukrainian academia “must now predominantly come through existing funding schemes aimed at strengthening European higher education and research”.

This could include visiting fellowships within the EU but, where possible, these should include an affiliation with a Ukrainian institution, Seumenicht urged. She added that development of joint programmes would also support Ukrainian institutions.

Taking stock

Marking two years since Russia stepped up its invasion, this week Research Professional News published an article from Ukrainian science journalist Svitlana Galata, who said that initiatives to support her country “should be designed with Ukrainian input”.

This week also marks a decade since the beginning of Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory.

Marking that sombre anniversary, the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers joined Ukraine’s Council of Young Scientists in mourning the death and destruction caused by the war.

“On this day, our hearts go out to our colleagues and friends, and to all the people of Ukraine: it marks a decade of them going through war, a decade of dying, a decade of suffering and grief,” Eurodoc said on 20 February.  

“Let us not forget what is happening in Ukraine. Let us continue our support.”

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Science has restarted in retaken territory and international ties are stronger, says Svitlana Galata

From April 2022, Russian forces occupied the Braude Radio Astronomy Observatory near Kharkiv in Ukraine for six months. They destroyed buildings and stole equipment. 

The observatory (pictured above) remains in range of Russian missiles and a significant part of its antenna fields are yet to be cleared of mines. Most of its 250 staff are working remotely, about 100 have moved to other regions of Ukraine, and several dozen are abroad. Its servers were moved to Poland in March 2022.

Even so, since the institute was liberated, employees who remained have patched the roof of the observatory’s main building and installed a solar power station. The observatory recently conducted its first observations since the Russian invasion.

In the two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian research and researchers have paid a heavy price. According to the country’s Ministry of Education and Science, as of 1 September 2023, more than 700 laboratories and research complexes had been damaged or destroyed. The ministry estimates that rebuilding them will cost $1.2 billion (€1.1bn). 

The loss of people is arguably even greater. Over 90 of Ukraine’s scientists are estimated to have been killed. More than 6,000—roughly one in seven—are abroad, and nearly 40 per cent are internally displaced.

Through necessity, though, the war has also accelerated the internationalisation of Ukrainian research. As well as funds from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Braude Observatory received funds for restoring scientific equipment from the French National Centre for Scientific Research, the Paris Observatory and others. A Polish fundraising effort collected enough to buy a generator.

The observatory’s leadership has applied for a grant from the EU’s Horizon Europe R&D programme to repair telescopes, integrate them into the European low-frequency array, and upgrade the facility, including constructing an additional section of the Giant Ukrainian Radio Telescope.

Many other institutions have used a similar mix of formal and grassroots efforts. Sumy National Agrarian University, for example, engaged its alumni networks as well as staff forced to move abroad to assist in identifying international projects and grants. This led to a grant from a UK university for a research project into understanding and reversing the impact of military activity on soil conditions.

“We realised there would be a shortage of funds in the state budget and immediately bet on international cooperation. The calculation was correct,” says Yuriy Danko, the university’s vice-rector for research and international activities.

Many of these international initiatives built on collaborations that predate the 2022 invasion. For example, Kyiv Academic University was able to build on a materials science project with the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research in Dresden to win a grant from the German government to create a centre for research on quantum materials. Students will intern at the centre, and scientists will receive decent salaries.

Fundraising efforts

In 2022, when the National Research Foundation of Ukraine’s funding was reallocated to the country’s defence needs, the foundation turned its fundraising efforts outwards, securing support from Cambridge University, the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Dutch Research Council, US National Science Foundation, and others. This allowed it to give grants to scientists affected by the war.

Since the foundation’s government funding was restored in 2023, it has allocated grants for helping Ukraine recover from the war. The winners include a project run by the Institute of Hydrobiology of the National Academy of Sciences for restoring the Irpin River, which formed a natural barrier that helped stop Russian tanks from reaching Kyiv.

The foundation also has the equivalent of about $8 million for projects aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities. Proposals submitted include technologies for humanitarian demining, automatic object-detection systems, and mitigating the effects of attacks on civilian populations and infrastructure in combat conditions. The winners will be announced in July.

Ukraine’s defence and security needs mean that domestic research funds remain tight. Ukrainian researchers need to remain proactive, telling the world about what they need not just to keep going but to grow and develop their work, and about the opportunities they have to offer. 

For their part, while the international response has been generous, foreigners wanting to help do not always understand the needs of Ukrainian scientists and the situation in the country. All initiatives should be designed with Ukrainian input. 

Svitlana Galata is a Ukrainian science journalist working with the Science at Risk project

This article also appeared in Research Europe

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As the war continues, Ukraine’s researchers look to the future

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago this week. Since then more than 10,000 civilians have been killed, according to the UN, with tens of thousands more military fatalities. About 10 million people have been displaced.

Ukraine’s research sector has suffered deeply. Ukrainian journalist Svitlana Galata offers a sobering reminder of the conflict’s toll: more than 6,000 of Ukraine’s scientists have been forced to move abroad, and more than 700 laboratories and research complexes have been damaged or destroyed, according to the country’s Ministry of Education and Science.

But there are signs of hope for the rebuilding of the country’s research capacity. Last year the National Research Foundation of Ukraine had some government funding restored after its whole grant budget was diverted to the country’s defence spending in 2022. 

Ukraine’s institutions have secured international support to reinstate scientific equipment and to carry out research itself. Some of this funding has come about through new connections made by displaced Ukrainian researchers. 

As Galata points out, while the war has accelerated the internationalisation of Ukrainian research, many partnerships have roots that predate the 2022 invasion. The inherent openness of the international scientific community to collaboration has provided a base from which to meet the immense challenges of the past two years.

But the conflict has also, as is well documented, led to major problems for those international research projects dependent on collaboration with Russia. 

Nowhere is this more apparent than in Arctic research, with cooperation frozen between the Western Arctic states and Russia on the Arctic Council—a regional organisation that supports projects on climate change and maritime emergencies. 

Russia has now raised the possibility that it could pull out of the council in future; last week, the annual meeting in Denver of the American Association for the Advancement of Science heard that “a quarter-century of Arctic cooperation has been placed in peril”. 

There is no easy path forward, but science-diplomacy expert Paul Berkman said at a meeting session that the consequences of Russia leaving the council are so great, it would be prudent to re-engage with it in some way.

The long-term future of Ukraine’s research capacity is also the subject of increasing focus. Oksana Seumenicht, co-founder of the German-Ukrainian Academic Society, issued a renewed call this week for the international community to shift its efforts from emergency support to longer-term goals. 

Writing on the European University Association’s website, Seumenicht urged organisations that wish to support Ukrainian academia to do so in a way that helps the rebuilding of its research capacity. This could, for example, include double affiliation for academics at host and Ukrainian institutions, to counter long-term brain drain and support the building of new partnerships.

In Seumenicht’s words: “Even in the current terrible and tragic situation, there is a unique chance to achieve ‘post-traumatic growth’, both for Ukraine and for Europe.” 

Research Europe wholeheartedly endorses her message. 

This article also appeared in Research Europe

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EU investment in innovation and tech is said to be key to “victory of Ukraine”

The European Commission has launched three research and innovation initiatives within Ukraine, in support of the country amid its ongoing war with Russia.

The Commission said it was opening a Horizon Europe office in Kyiv, focused on supporting Ukrainian researchers in obtaining and executing grants from the EU research budget.

It also announced a European Innovation Council action to support the deep-tech sector, as well as a European Institute of Innovation and Technology hub to cultivate a community of innovators.

Since the beginning of the invasion in February 2022, the war has destroyed more than 15 per cent of Ukraine’s research infrastructure and affected about 40 per cent of the scientific workforce.

Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for innovation, research, culture, education and youth, spoke at the launch, saying that “We know innovations and tech solutions will lead to the victory of Ukraine.”

The EU’s research programme, Horizon Europe, has already supported 328 organisations in Ukraine with €45.3 million.

“The resilience of your R&I sector, even under Russia’s aggression, demonstrates the importance of enhanced cooperation,” Ivanova told Ukrainians.

The European Innovation Council is awarding startup grants of up to €10,000 for business consultancy, as the first part of the ‘seeds of bravery’ action launched by the Commission.

The ‘seeds of bravery’ programme, with a budget of €20m, will support Ukrainian deep-tech startups in becoming eligible to apply for the EIC’s EU-wide Accelerator programme, worth up to €17.5m per startup.

Ivanova also promised that the relationship between Ukrainian researchers and the EU “will not be a one-directional relationship”, saying that the EU could learn much from Ukraine. Among other things, women’s involvement in research in Ukraine is almost double that of the EU.

Ivanova said that the Commission would continue to support Ukrainian researchers for “as long as it takes”.

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Remaining researchers are leaving the profession in droves, or spending less time on their work

Ukraine has lost almost a fifth of its researchers to other countries since Russia’s invasion, a study of over 2,500 researchers from the war-torn country has found.

The situation in the country is even bleaker than that stark number suggests: around 15 per cent of the researchers who stayed have left academia altogether. And those who have stayed in the profession and the country have less time to spend on research given the circumstances of war.

“Our survey shows that Ukraine has lost almost 20 per cent of top scientists,” said study author Gaétan de Rassenfosse of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland.

“Many of these emigrant scientists are under precarious contracts at their host institutions. Of the scientists who stay[ed] in Ukraine, if still alive, about 15 per cent have left research, and others have little time to devote to research given the circumstances of war.”

De Rassenfosse and his team surveyed 2,559 researchers who had been employed at a Ukraine institution when Russia invaded their country in February 2022. Their results were published in Nature’s Humanities and Social Sciences Communications journal on 12 December.

Capacity loss

They show that the average time per week Ukrainian scientists have spent on research reduced from 13 hours before the invasion to 10 hours after, equating to the country having lost about a fifth of its research capacity.

Funders and institutions across Europe have scrambled to offer support for Ukrainian colleagues since the invasion. But de Rassenfosse’s work suggests more is needed.

Just 14 per cent of emigrant Ukrainian scientist reported having secured long-term contracts at their host institutions. Meanwhile, 24 per cent of the scientists who remain in Ukraine said they had lost access to the resources they need for their research.

“Our study shows that Ukrainian scientists are getting more and more disconnected from the Ukrainian scientific community, and this is dangerous for the future of Ukraine and Ukrainian research,” warns de Rassenfosse. “Policymakers must anticipate the renewal of the Ukrainian research system in order for scientists to return, and to train the next generation of Ukrainian scientists.”

The researchers also said their estimates are likely to be conservative, as those most affected by the war are less likely to have responded to the survey.

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European research infrastructures say they have hosted researchers and worked on joint projects

More than half of surveyed European research infrastructures are offering support to Ukrainian researchers, but some are struggling to do so due to funding issues.

The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures—which advises governments on how best to support large-scale infrastructures—surveyed 32 research infrastructures and published the results on 23 November.

Esfri previously called for research infrastructures to support Ukrainian researchers whose work has been “severely disrupted” by Russia’s invasion of the country. It conducted the survey to gauge the level of support that has been provided. 

Seventeen of the 32 research infrastructures said they had supported Ukrainian research by hosting researchers or students, undertaking joint research projects, providing training, awarding grants or facilitating access to physical infrastructure.

Most of these infrastructures relied on their own funding to do so, while a few used government funding.

Funding shortfalls

Twelve research infrastructures said they had not implemented support, citing a lack of funding, limited connection to Ukrainian research communities, geographical constraints or their specialism not being relevant.

Three of these said they were planning future support and welcomed applications from Ukrainian researchers.

Esfri said the results demonstrated that “significant support” was being offered to Ukraine and underscored “the importance of a well-developed system of RIs…for the increased resilience of our research and innovation system”.

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European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers calls for more funding for war-torn country

Europe must give greater support, including financial help, to Ukrainian early career researchers amid the ongoing Russian invasion of their country, according to a group representing early career researchers across Europe.

On 25 September, the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc) published a 10-point resolution on support for Ukraine that it has signed together with the Young Scientists Council at the Ukrainian ministry of science.

Its signing is “another crucial development in the multiple ways European early career researchers are supporting their Ukrainian colleagues”, Eurodoc said.

Research funds and access to training

Among the 10 points, Eurodoc said European institutions should increase their support for Ukrainian early career researchers, including by providing funds for research, higher education and reconstruction.

Ukrainian researchers should also have access to short-term internships and advanced training at European universities, according to the resolution.

Drawn up following a round table in July organised by the Young Scientists Council and attended by Eurodoc, the resolution also calls for early career researchers who have stayed in Ukraine to receive scholarships.

Eurodoc and the Young Scientists Council have also promised to aid the distribution of equipment for Ukrainian researchers and to support knowledge exchange between their members.

The plan also comes after Eurodoc published an open letter to the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, asking that Ukrainian academia “receive the necessary support” to retain its early-career researchers.

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Success of £13 million programme for Ukrainian academics prompts call from chair of security committee

The government should launch a long-term scheme for bringing foreign researchers under threat to the UK, according to the chair of an influential parliamentary committee.

Julian Lewis, chair of the joint Intelligence and Security Committee, said the Researchers at Risk fellowship scheme for hosting Ukrainian academics displaced by the war had been a success and should be opened to academics in other countries.

Launched in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Researchers at Risk scheme was backed with nearly £13 million in public money. The programme, delivered by the Council for At-Risk Academics and the UK’s national academies, has provided around 180 Ukrainian researchers with a salary, research and living costs for up to two years.

Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate on 12 September, Lewis praised the programme’s effectiveness but said the funding had now run out.

“I hope that the government will learn from the undoubted success and be prepared to consider a longer-term follow-on scheme, open to academics at risk around the world,” Lewis said.

Visa question

Home Office minister Sarah Dines said that the government is “committed to the cause of academic freedom globally and to ensuring that at-risk academics have a place of safety in which to study, teach and carry out research, including within the UK”.

Lewis also called on the Home Office to consider “ways in which the visa regime might be adapted” to help at-risk researchers.

Dines said: “Our work and study visa regime provides opportunities for such individuals to come to the UK and to continue their careers here, either on a permanent basis or until such time as it is safe for them to return to their own country.”

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UK response to invasion of Ukraine shows merit of coordination, says UUK International report

The UK government should offer long-term funding to enable universities to help colleagues in countries affected by humanitarian crises, a report analysing the sector’s response to the invasion of Ukraine has suggested.

As well as killing thousands upon thousands of Ukrainians and injuring many more, Russia’s invasion inflicted destruction on the country’s universities and many researchers abandoned their work to flee or fight.

In response, UK universities brought in a twinning scheme to offer support to Ukrainian institutions and a £12.8 million Researchers at Risk fellowships scheme was created to allow Ukrainian researchers to continue their work in the UK, providing salary, research and living costs for up to two years.

Coming together

“The response to the invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated what is possible when policy, funding and political interests align with the goodwill, creativity and commitment of colleagues in the UK’s higher education community,” wrote Universities UK International director Jamie Arrowsmith in the report.

 “However, the scale and impact of this response has—rightly—posed questions over how we, as a community, can respond to, and support, other higher education systems experiencing humanitarian and other forms of crises.”

While the UK and other powers have been praised for coming up with significant resources to assist Ukraine’s higher education and research, there have been questions about why such levels of support have not been forthcoming for other nations.

In an opinion piece for Research Professional News earlier this year, Arrowsmith himself wrote: “The question of whether universities could do more, as a community, to mobilise that support in response to other crises is absolutely the right one.”

Lessons learned

Released on 11 September, the UUKI report identifies lessons learned from the Ukraine situation that could ensure higher education is better placed to respond to future international crises.

It suggests that the government and funding agencies should consider sector-wide funding to support higher education continuation as part of humanitarian efforts. This should consider funding ahead of crises for preparedness, as they start via emergency response, during for recovery and rehabilitation, and finally for long-term reconstruction and development.

Long-term sustained financing should be explored “as a priority” by government bodies, including the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and government funder UK Research and Innovation, the UUKI team says.

Collaborative working

Universities should also look to work together to maximise resources and avoid any duplication, the report team urges. This could be coordinated via UUKI and include proper performance monitoring.

UUKI should also “hold a comprehensive record that maps sector knowledge and expertise in relation to humanitarian response, and which can provide a frame of reference to be used in future humanitarian crises”.

“With global challenges accelerating and geopolitical relationships increasingly fraught and contested, the need for university systems across the world to benefit from partnership, support and expertise of their peers in countries such as the UK will continue to grow. It is incumbent on us, as a community, to think carefully about how we can best respond in a coordinated, strategic way,” said Arrowsmith in the report.

Research Professional News has approached the government for comment.

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Research and teaching continues, despite Russian invasion

Universities across Ukraine are marking Independence Day as Russia’s war on the country continues.

Over 500 days since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, universities up and down the country joined Ukrainians across the world in celebrating its 32^nd Independence Day—which marks Ukraine’s Declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Sasha Ivashchenko from the Science for Ukraine group—which is working to support the country’s academic community in surviving the war—told Research Professional News that Independence Day has a “very symbolic meaning” to all Ukrainians.

“It is a symbol of independence, freedom of speech, national dignity and hope for the future. Irrespective of whether Ukrainian people leave and whether they can celebrate this day or not, on this day they feel just a little more proud for being Ukrainians.”

‘A part to play’

Universities in Ukraine have remained defiant, even as their buildings have been hit by shells and missiles and their students and staff have been injured or killed in the fighting.

“After 547 days of a full-scale war, it is obvious that only with a colossal effort from all of Ukraine will we be able to protect independence and the right to live freely on our Ukrainian land,” said Volodymyr Bugrov, rector of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Bugrov said that victory will only be achieved by combining defence, diplomatic and political efforts, adding that universities have a part to play through education, science and cultural diplomacy.

“The university, in spite of everything, continues to teach and learn. Our scientists are looking for and finding opportunities to conduct research projects in Ukraine and abroad.  Our students win prizes at prestigious international events. We believe that every victory is important for Ukraine today.”

He stressed that education will be important for the reconstruction of Ukraine when the war finishes, saying that science and cultural diplomacy “weakens the enemy”.

He also paid tribute to alumni, students and staff of the university who had lost their lives in the war, the most recent of whom is reported as Eleonora Maltseva, a graduate of the university’s military institute who died as a result of a Russian missile strike on 30 July.

Yurii Bobalo, rector of Lviv Polytechnic National University, noted that many planned Independence Day celebrations will be cut short by sirens and missile warnings.

“Let’s work for the quicker victory. Let your every action, every step, every attempt and effort be aimed at overcoming the enemy and the development of our Ukraine,” he told staff and students.

Global solidarity

Political leaders across the world sent messages of solidarity and support to Ukraine on its Independence Day, including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

“You are an inspiration to all Europeans. And we will stand with you for as long as it takes Ukraine to be free,” she said.

Support for Ukraine’s institutions continues to be announced by overseas allies too.

On 23 August, the European Investment Bank, the EU’s bank, signed an agreement with Ukraine’s education and science ministry to support efforts to modernise the country’s vocational education and training system. This includes €8.5 million for technical assistance in managing the modernisation efforts, which completes an EIB loan of €58m signed in 2021.

In an address to the country to mark Independence Day, president Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Everyone is important in this fight, because this is a fight for something that is important to everyone. An independent Ukraine.”

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Olga Onuch aims to increase scholarly interest in political landscape of war-torn nation

The UK’s first professor with ‘Ukrainian politics’ in the title says she hopes her appointment will lead more universities to create similar positions.

Olga Onuch, who was unveiled as professor of comparative and Ukrainian politics at the University of Manchester on 22 August, also said she hoped her appointment would encourage more students into the study of Ukrainian political issues.

“My wish is that having this title hosted here will motivate more Ukrainian students to study at the University of Manchester, and that more students who want to learn about Ukraine will come to the university,” Onuch, who is from Ukraine, said. 

“I also hope that the first professorship to name Ukrainian politics explicitly in the English-speaking world brings my family and friends in Ukraine a bit of pride.”

Onuch’s focus

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Onuch’s work has focused on recording and understanding the war. She also penned a book on the topic, The Zelensky Effect.

In her new role, Onuch will develop the curriculum, mentor early career researchers and work on policy-focused research agendas. It is hoped that the professorship will raise the profile of Ukrainian scholarship and studies in the UK.

A new course, entitled ‘Ukraine rises’, will launch this September, which will focus on contemporary Ukrainian politics from a comparative perspective.

‘Major milestone’

“The appointment of the first professor of comparative and Ukrainian politics is long overdue in the English-speaking world and is a major milestone, not only for the Ukrainian community in the UK but also globally,” said Anna Dezyk, deputy chair of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain.

Leigh Gibson, Ukraine director for the British Council, added: “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Olga and her department to understand more about the role young people have played in the development of Ukraine as a democratic nation, and the critical contribution they will make to recovery and rebuilding in the future.”

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Redistributed funds under bloc’s regional cooperation programmes include support for research and education

The European Commission has redirected €135 million earmarked for EU regional cooperation with Russia and Belarus to programmes with Ukraine and Moldova, including funds for research and education.

Its move, a result of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, represents a significant change to plans for cooperation with the EU’s regional neighbours.

The bloc’s Interreg Next regional cooperation programmes have a total budget of €1.1 billion for the period 2021-27, with four out of five of the programmes involving Ukraine or Moldova. The EU suspended cooperation with Russia and Belarus in such programmes in 2022 after the invasion ramped up.

In an announcement on 16 August, Elisa Ferreira, EU commissioner for cohesion and reforms, said she is “glad that the funds we had initially planned for this cooperation will now benefit the EU’s programmes with Ukraine and Moldova”.

“This will help strengthen collaboration between EU regions and local stakeholders with Ukrainian and Moldovan partners,” Ferreira added.

The funds support a range of activities including research and education projects, health services, cross-border transport links and “reinforcing the institutional capacity of Ukrainian and Moldovan public authorities”, the Commission said.

Dissenting Russian philosophers

Europe’s academic landscape also continues to be reshaped by the war in Ukraine. In a recent move, dissenting Russian academics have set up an Independent Institute of Philosophy in France, having left their home country because of the invasion.

The founders are former members of the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Academia Europaea, a pan-European academy of scientists and scholars, said on 16 August that one of the institute’s aims will be supporting other scholars forced to leave Russia.

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Support must reflect the changing nature and understanding of the war, says conference summary

A report has underscored the need for Europe to provide long-term support for R&D in Ukraine, rather than short-lived help for academics who leave the country due to the Russian invasion.

Published this month, the report details the findings of a conference on the damage caused by the war, which was hosted in March by the International Science Council and the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (Allea). Ukrainian organisations including the Ministry of Education and Science and the National Research Foundation were also involved.

The conference took place a year after the full-scale invasion began, and focused on how the research community outside Ukraine could best support the country.

“Speakers told of the appalling and indiscriminate damage inflicted upon Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, its cultural, educational and research facilities, but also spoke of the resilient response of the Ukrainian scientific and academic community,” the report says.

Needs within Ukraine

The conference followed one that took place in June 2022, when the focus of support was on academics who had fled the war and were seeking refuge in Europe and elsewhere.

Since then, it has become clear that about 80 per cent of Ukraine’s researchers are thought to have remained in the country, meaning that there is an “urgent” need to support those who have stayed as well as the facilities and infrastructures in Ukraine.

“There remains an embattled but viable research community in Ukraine, which requires ongoing support to survive and reconstruct the local science ecosystem,” the report says.

It cites data from the ministry that 415 education institutions in Ukraine “have been destroyed completely” by Russia, with 3,145 having “suffered bombing and shelling”.

Continuity will be key to ensuring Ukraine has a viable R&D sector whenever the war ends, the report stresses. It says career interruptions will be “very hard to reverse”, and therefore opportunities must be presented to researchers at all career stages.

“The primary message is that, in this phase of the crisis, the most urgent need is to support the research system within Ukraine itself to avoid losing an entire generation of researchers,” the report concludes.

Broader themes

It recommends that such support could take the form of budgets and policies with both temporary and long-term bases, and says support programmes need to be “flexible enough to reflect the evolving situation”.

More broadly, the authors call for the support for Ukraine and its academic system to be repeated elsewhere.

“There is a need to reflect on possible ways to expand and apply lessons learned from funding models for Ukraine to other regions of the world,” they say.

Another theme conveyed is the need for “trusted international fora” for events like the conference the report summarises.

“Convening bodies must enable local voices to be heard, and they must be given a platform to ensure productive and respectful initiatives,” it says.

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Academic generation “will be lost” without intervention, Eurodoc warns

Young researchers in Ukraine have revealed they are struggling financially and are being forced to take on other jobs to support themselves due to the ongoing Russian invasion of their country.

Early career researchers from across Ukraine met leaders of the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc) in Kyiv on 21 July and set out the challenges they are facing.

After the meeting, Eurodoc warned that “without intervention, an academic generation will be lost”, as young researchers in Ukraine are leaving the profession.

There are now only about 11,000 young researchers in Ukraine, which is about 5,000 fewer than before the war, Eurodoc said.

“Some have left academia, some have left the country, some have left to fight the war, but the key reason that the number has dropped significantly is because fewer have been employed as young scientists compared to before the war,” it said.

Since the war started, the percentage of Ukraine’s GDP going to higher education and research has dropped from 1.7 per cent to 0.4 per cent, according to Eurodoc, whose leaders also met representatives of the ministry of science and the office of the president during their visit.

Early career researchers are experiencing “deteriorating” working conditions, Eurodoc said. Young researchers’ salaries of €200-€300 a month are “no longer sufficient”, it said, and this has left many working several jobs.

The shortage of researchers also means that those who remain have a bigger workload, while many no longer have access to their workplace or research materials, Eurodoc said.

Eurodoc president Sebastian Dahle said after the meeting that young Ukrainian researchers were “struggling to make ends meet, both privately and professionally”.

“The lack of funding means lack of access to the tools, equipment, software that is needed to conduct research, in all fields from science, technology, engineering and mathematics to the humanities,” he said.

He reiterated a call being made by Eurodoc for dedicated EU funding and support to help the research and education sector in Ukraine.

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Research and education should be treated “equally” to other areas in planned EU investment

A group representing European early career researchers has called for the EU to provide dedicated funding for Ukrainian research and higher education.

The European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc) said on 20 July that the Russian invasion had “massively impacted” Ukrainian academic institutions, and that research and higher education would have a role to play in the country’s recovery.

It said that, of the €53 billion pledged to Ukraine by the EU so far, none had been allocated to higher education, and stressed that research and higher education needed “equal” support to that given to other areas of activity.

In June, the European Commission proposed setting up a dedicated fund to support the Ukrainian recovery, worth up to €50bn over 2024-27. It said objectives should include repairing, rebuilding and improving “social infrastructure such as housing, healthcare facilities, schools and higher education institutions, and research infrastructure”.

But while Eurodoc commended the proposal, which is being considered by MEPs and EU governments, it said the move did not go far enough. “For Ukraine to recover as a knowledge economy, its academia must receive the necessary support to retain the current generation of Ukrainian early career researchers,” it said.

Hannah Schoch, secretary of Eurodoc, told Research Professional News that the group put out its statement partly because the proposal is yet to be adopted, and partly because “there are also no specifics just yet on exact funding allocation. It is thus imperative to ensure that the proposal is not only accepted, but then also implemented in a meaningful way.”

“This is particularly crucial for the current generation of Ukrainian early career researchers who are not just shaping the higher education and research sector now, but will importantly do so for the decades to come as senior academic staff,” she added.

The call came as Eurodoc’s president, Sebastian Dahle, and vice-president, Pil Maria Saugmann, visited Ukraine on the invitation of Ukraine’s Council of Young Scientists, where they were also due to meet representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, the National Research Foundation and the National Academy of Science, among other organisations.

Saugmann said: “I see it as one of our core responsibilities to emphasise the role that research and higher education play for democracy and society—and, for Ukraine, this is particularly acute right now.”

Dahle added: “This is particularly important since, in the currently planned international support and recovery schemes for Ukraine, the higher education sector has not received much attention.”

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Failure to provide sustainable support to institutions could impede country’s reconstruction, European University Association warns

Support for Ukrainian universities should shift from emergency relief to more long-term measures, the European University Association has recommended.

Amid the devastation caused by Russia’s invasion, governments, national funders and universities across the EU have offered support to Ukraine’s research and higher education sector through various measures, including placements or fellowships for academics to carry out their research abroad. But in a report published on 6 July, the EUA pointed out that the war is now in its second year, with “no end in sight”.

This means that “support for Ukrainian higher education and research must shift from emergency relief to more sustainable and long-term support measures”, it said.

Failure to provide Ukrainian universities with sustainable support could cause “significant long-term damage and impede Ukraine’s reconstruction”, the group warned.

It recommended that European universities should “enhance” their offers to host Ukrainian students, academics and university staff. It also urged European governments to remove barriers that could prevent Ukrainian researchers from going to their countries.

Rebuilding plans

The EUA said that support should be delivered through partnerships with Ukrainian universities, allowing institutions in the country to continue their academic work and contribute to the international research community.

It added that the higher education and research sector should be considered in reconstruction measures and rebuilding plans.

Despite the ongoing war, the Ukrainian government has already vowed to invest in the reform of the higher education and research system in the country, the EUA pointed out.

Europe is “well placed” to contribute to the Ukrainian government’s reform goal due to its diversity of higher education systems and “wide experience” with reform processes, the group said. 

Its recommendations were based on the work of a dedicated task force and consultations with its member organisations and partners. The EUS said they “do not intend to prescribe certain actions, but to enhance collaboration and dialogue on how to better advance together”.

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Country’s science and education ministry also invited to join working groups of European Research Area

The EU is encouraging Ukraine to increase its participation in the bloc’s academic exchange and mobility programme, Erasmus+, in the context of the ongoing Russian invasion of the country.

On 15 June, representatives of the European Commission and the Ukrainian government signed agreements for increased cooperation, one of which included a joint intention to promote greater involvement of Ukrainian organisations in the international actions of the EU programme.

“Ukraine is encouraged to enhance its participation in the Erasmus+ General Call for 2024 to be published in autumn 2023,” the agreement said.

This should include partnerships for cooperation in education, it said, as well as mobility projects to support travel from Ukraine into the EU.

It said an upcoming Erasmus+ project will allocate €5 million to support the creation of a digital higher education environment in Ukraine so that students affected by the Russian invasion can continue their studies.

‘Devastating consequences’

The European Commission said the invasion that began in February 2022 has had “devastating consequences for the lives and education opportunities of millions of young people” and “continues to inflict severe damages in the sector of education”.

The Commission and the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science also agreed they should work together on recognition by the bloc of qualifications obtained in the country.

In addition, the Commission reiterated an invitation for the ministry to join working groups in the EU-led European Research Area policy package for raising R&I standards across Europe, as well as the Eurydice Network for sharing information on higher education.

A separate agreement covered increased cooperation on health, including work on rare diseases. 

“We are driven by an unwavering dedication to our shared goal: to help affected Ukrainians recover as soon as possible, and to continue to bring hope to the valiant people of Ukraine,” said Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas, who signed the agreements for the EU.

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More than one-third of country’s research infrastructure reported to have been damaged or destroyed

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “is having a grave impact” on the latter country’s research and innovation ecosystem, according to EU officials.

As of March this year, 35 per cent of Ukraine’s research infrastructure had been damaged or destroyed by Russia, up from 15 per cent in November 2022, the Council of the EU member state governments said in a briefing note published last week.

A quarter of scientific workers have left the country, it added, “while many others have changed their careers or decided to join defence forces”.

‘Decades of progress undermined’

Furthermore, the note said public R&I funding “has been cut to a minimum”, while power cuts and other connectivity problems are also hampering R&I.

“These events have undermined decades of scientific progress and significantly drained Ukraine of its intellectual talent, which will pose massive challenges for rebuilding Ukraine’s modern and sustainable future,” the note said.

Consequently, it said, Ukraine will need more than the “small-scale and fragmented” R&I support initiatives that have been put in place so far: it will also need reconstruction of facilities, policy reforms, capacity-building and financial resources.

The note, produced for the European Research Area and Innovation Committee that advises the EU on R&I policy, therefore concludes that R&I should be included in assessments of, and political discussions about, the broad aid and support Ukraine needs.

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Australian Academy of Science announces funding for short-term visits and infrastructure use

The Australian Academy of Science has launched a programme of grants to support Ukrainian researchers affected by the war.

The Ukraine-Australia Research Fund is divided into two streams: funding for short-term research visits and funding for the use of Australian facilities and infrastructure.

Under the second stream, Ukrainian researchers can send their samples to any facilities covered by Australia’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy, with the results returned to the Ukrainian institute. Funding covers the cost of sending samples and the cost of testing and analysing the samples.

Military research is excluded from both funding streams.

Ten-point plan

The grants are being funded by an A$800,000 donation from the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, announced in late 2022.

At the time, the academy signed up to an international “10-point action plan” put together by learned academies around the world. The plan includes supporting researchers through various administrative concessions, establishing joint funding programmes and providing research facilities to compensate for those destroyed by the war.

The academy said in 2022 that it “condemns in the harshest possible terms the unprovoked and unlawful military aggression by Russia”.

The infrastructure stream is open for applications until 31 May, and the travel grants until 7 June. A second round is planned for later in the year.

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Scheme has helped over 170 war refugee researchers to continue their work in the UK

The British Academy has enabled almost 200 Ukrainian academics to continue their work in the UK since their careers were disrupted by the Russian invasion of their country in February 2022.

A scheme established by the Academy and the Cara, the Council for At-Risk Academics, marked its one-year anniversary on 14 April. Since then, the Researchers at Risk Fellowships project has brought 177 Ukrainian academics and 200 dependents to Britain and found them host institutions where they have been able to resume their studies.

Their research has continued in a wide range of disciplines from Egyptology and Elizabethan England to diaspora engagement policies in Europe, postquantum cybersecurity, coastal erosion and biotechnology.

Ukrainian academics have been working at host institutions throughout the country, including the British Museum, the Courtauld Institute of Art, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Queens University Belfast, the University of Strathclyde, Cardiff University, Central School of Speech and Drama and Glasgow University. 

‘Invaluable contributions’

The fellowships scheme is supported financially by the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society. It was set up with help from various government departments, the Nuffield Foundation and the publisher Sage.

Simon Goldhill, foreign secretary for the British Academy said: “On behalf of the British Academy, I would like to thank all of those organisations and individuals who have worked so hard to make the Researchers at Risk scheme possible.” 

“In just one year the scheme has helped bring a great many Ukrainian researchers, and their dependents, to the safety of the UK. It has been a privilege getting to know them and we are grateful for the invaluable contributions they are making to the UK’s higher education and research community.”

The academy said those wishing to further support this scheme should get in touch via development@thebritishacademy.ac.uk.

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Universities UK announces 33 additional twinning partnerships

More partnerships have been announced between UK and Ukrainian universities under a twinning scheme organised by vice-chancellors group Universities UK.

On 29 March—the first anniversary of the scheme’s launch—UUK revealed 33 new partnerships to join more than 100 already established through the scheme, which helps UK universities to share resources with their Ukrainian counterparts.

The support has included donated ambulances and help to equip bomb shelters, as well as the provision of study placements, English classes and mental health support.

UUK set up the scheme with Cormack Consultancy Group and it received a £5 million funding boost from Research England in November. Funding for the latest partnerships has also been provided by Research England.  

The programme had “enabled Ukrainian campuses to stay open, academics to continue vital teaching and research activities and, most importantly, students have been given a lifeline to continue their studies”, UUK said.

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“Science is not beyond politics,” says head of National Research Foundation of Ukraine

The head of Ukraine’s national research funder has appealed to the international R&D sector to continue to support academics in the country amid the ongoing war. 

Olga Polotska, executive director of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU), urged research organisations across the world to stop cooperating with Russia and Belarus, which is supporting Russia’s invasion of her country.

Many European governments and research organisations have already ended official research collaborations with the two countries, although some have made a distinction between dealings with state organisations and individual researchers.

Polotska encouraged such suspensions of academic ties during a conference on the impact of the war on R&D, held online on 20 March by the International Science Council.

“It is often said that science is beyond politics. Under the current circumstances, it is impossible to agree with this idealistic statement,” she said.

“Science is not beyond politics. Scientific sanctions are vital.”

Polotska listed ways that the research community could help Ukrainian academics, including continued financial support and schemes enabling Ukrainians to collaborate internationally.

She also urged international research organisations to pledge money to the NRFU’s fundraising campaign to pay grants for projects that were successful in its pre-war funding calls. Last year, the grant budget was redirected toward national defence and the 2023 budget covers just 60 per cent of the total needed. 

This article also appeared in Research Europe

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