Representatives of Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine, NRFU attended the RIFF Information Day
On February 16, 2026, employees of Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine, NRFU took part in the RIFF Information Day dedicated to the development of Ukraine’s Research Infrastructure (RI) and its integration into the European Research Area. The Info Day was held in English in Kyiv at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and in a hybrid format, which allowed as many interested parties as possible to join the event.
The event was opened by Zoya Petrenko, Head of the Expert Group on Research and Critical Infrastructure, Directorate for Science Development, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, who addressed the participants with a welcoming speech.
The participants paid particular attention to the activities of RIFF, in particular the opportunities for involving the Ukrainian research community in the process of developing a roadmap for research infrastructure development. Ondrej Hradil, RIFF coordinator, Masaryk University (Czech Republic), gave a presentation on this topic, focusing in detail on aspects of Ukrainian institutions’ participation and prospects for further cooperation with European partners.
The presentation by Volodymyr Dzhagan, Head of Department V.E. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and winner of NRFU Call, was of great interest. He presented practical experience and features of the implementation of national infrastructure projects using the example of the NRFU project “Creation of the State key laboratory “Center of critical optoelectronics, micro-/nanotechnologies and expertise””.
The event programme also included reports on the development of Research Infrastructure in the NAS of Ukraine system, European experience in forming roadmaps for the development of Research Infrastructure, in particular in the Czech Republic, Portuguese Republic, the Kingdom of Norway and ESFRI, cooperation between European and Ukrainian Research Infrastructure, and educational and training opportunities within the RIFF project.
The final stage of the event was the presentation of the RIFF Open Call, conducted by Liudmyla Tautiieva, an analyst at EFIS Centre (the Kingdom of Belgium). She explained in detail the approach to defining Research Infrastructure, the reasoning and goals of the Open Call, as well as the practical aspects of filling out the online application form. The presentation was followed by an extensive Q&A session, in which participants discussed the criteria for participation, the involvement of Ukrainian organisations in the RIFF project and the next steps for participation.
Overall, the event contributed to a deeper understanding of the European Union’s current approaches to the development of Research Infrastructures and allowed for a substantive discussion of the next steps for cooperation within the RIFF with the participation of Ukrainian and European stakeholders.
