With Ukraine and for Ukraine: international conference dedicated to support for Ukrainian researchers by the Baltic States took place
On March 18, a conference on cooperation aimed at supporting Ukrainian researchers: “International Research Cooperation – With Ukraine and for Ukraine” was held. The event was organised and hosted by the Estonian Research Council (ETAG) in cooperation with the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU) and with the support of the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV). Representatives of the NRFU took part in the conference.
Olga Polotska, Executive Director of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine, spoke at the session “Joint Contributions to a Stronger European Research Area Funding Instruments and Capacity Building”, presenting a report on the current state of science in Ukraine, its needs, challenges and pathways to resilience. She outlined the current situation in the country regarding research and innovation, the devastating impact of the ongoing war, how domestic scientists, researchers and innovators continue operating under extreme conditions, the problem of funding gaps and brain drain, the huge importance of international support, as well as policy and reform commitment aimed at European integration, in particular fostering transparency and responsibility in research, even in wartime.
In addition, she outlined the role of the NRFU in facilitating the comprehensive integration of the Ukrainian research community into the European and Global Research Area by increasing its competitiveness and strengthening cooperation with foreign research networks and environments in the interests of our country. Among other things, Olga Polotska emphasised the significant importance of the activities of the NRFU’s department Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine.
As the conference was held in a hybrid format, the Head of Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine, Igor Taranov, attended the event in person. During the session dedicated to new pathways to closer cooperation between Estonia and Ukraine, the Head of the Office presented the state of Ukraine’s international research cooperation in terms of integration into the European Research Area and building new consortia. He spoke in detail about the department’s activities, as Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine is a European Commission’s project successfully implemented on the basis of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine.
The speaker also presented statistics on Ukraine’s participation in EU framework programmes for research and innovation, in particular Horizon Europe, where Ukrainian participants are achieving unprecedented results. In addition, Igor Taranov outlined the Office’s look for the future, which includes systematic work of the NCP network and Programme Committees, responsible for the Programme implementation, establishing a multilateral platform to strengthen international partnerships for participation of EU programmes, developing strategies and recommendations for the state authorities, and providing support to Government bodies with a view to strengthening Ukraine’s role in the European research community.
Other issues discussed during the conference included: EU support for Ukraine’s integration into the European Research Area; the contribution of Northern European and Baltic States to strengthening Ukraine’s research resilience; prospects for Estonian-Ukrainian academic cooperation; specific case studies on establishing links for research cooperation and academic resilience; the role of research managers and grant support in strengthening international scientific cooperation.
In addition, Estonian universities presented initiatives aimed at supporting Ukraine. Participants were also informed about international projects involving Estonian and Ukrainian researchers.
At the end of the event, a panel discussion was held, during which participants discussed and provided practical recommendations on how to foster sustainable cooperation between the Baltic States and Ukraine in order to better meet Ukraine’s needs in the field of research and development. The panellists included Anu Noorma, Director General, ETAG; Kistin Andersen, Chief Operating Officer, NordForsk; Igor Taranov, Head of the Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine, NRFU; Get Jevan, Professor, Dean, School of IT, TalTech; and Marhayta Domnich, Junior Research Fellow of Computational Neuroscience, University of Tartu.
Mykhailo Hrebeniuk, Office manager of GUARD, Liaison Officer in Brussels for HEOinUA project. The conference served as a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience and for networking among Ukrainian and Estonian researchers, research administrators and policymakers interested in strengthening cooperation with Ukraine in the area of research and development.
Please watch the video of the event: