25 March 2024
On March 19-20, Zurich hosted a seminar on "Restoring and strengthening Ukrainian science and innovation to support economic recovery", which was attended by Oleksandra Antoniuk (Deputy Director for Science and Innovation of the Ukrainian Catholic Academy and Academ.City project manager).
The main goal of the event is to find new instruments of international support and strengthen the Ukrainian scientific and innovation systems as a basis for further economic recovery and sustainability of Ukraine.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has resulted in devastation, including loss of life, massive internal and external migration, and the partial or complete destruction of facilities and infrastructure. This poses urgent challenges for Ukraine's science, education, and technology sectors. As the war in Ukraine rages on with no end in sight, concern is growing among the international science community about immediate and lasting damage to the Ukrainian science enterprise and its ability to support the long-term economic recovery for Ukraine.
The U.S. National Academy of Sciences, in partnership with the Simons Foundation and ETH Zurich, brought together leading experts from around the world, representing academia, government, industry, philanthropy and foundations, for a two-day workshop to discuss efforts to strengthen Ukraine's science and innovation system as part of broader efforts to rebuild the economy and ensure its sustainability.
The workshop, held in Zurich, Switzerland, had two objectives:
Day One: to explore mechanisms to support international research and innovation cooperation between Ukraine and other key countries through the establishment of a joint research fund; and Day Two: to identify key approaches and best practices for linking science and innovation to economic recovery and growth. A brief collection of materials authored by the speaker was published as a result of the workshop. The results of the workshop will be shared with various government officials in preparation for the donor conference to be held in June 2024 in Germany. The workshop will build on existing NASEM activities involving Ukraine, including the two previous RESET Ukraine workshops and the results of the NASEM SEED program.
The materials of the event are available here.
