Solidarity with war-torn country must be expressed through funding and action, says German exchange service

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has called for ”long-term solidarity with Ukraine”, including financial support for Ukrainian higher education institutions and assistance to refugee researchers and students in Germany.

In a statement released to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the DAAD’s leader, Joybrato Mukherjee, noted that universities had been attacked and destroyed. He urged Germany to make more resources available to students and researchers remaining in the country, who were attempting to pursue their studies and research under the threat of shelling.

“The war is still continuing a year after Russia’s incursion into Ukraine, and the people there are affected by death, extensive suffering and deprivation,” he said. “The DAAD, its member institutions and student bodies have stood firmly by the people in Ukraine since the war began.”

Multi-year support

Mukherjee said that German universities had demonstrated considerable commitment to welcoming and supporting refugee researchers and students, as well as joint projects with Ukrainian partner universities. But he warned that a better funding commitment from the government was needed to continue the work done in these projects.

“Here in Germany, we need a broad and multi-year support initiative, which must include assistance for Ukrainian refugees, activities to maintain German-Ukrainian higher education partnerships and long-term funding for the rebuilding of universities after the end of the war,” he said.

The diverse support projects implemented by German universities should receive reliable and long-term funding from the federal government, the DAAD said. A close and lasting link between Ukrainian and German academic institutions and research institutions would increase security for all of Europe, the body added.

“We in Germany need to have an action plan until 2030 that ensures the rapid and successful rapprochement of Ukraine with the EU and a comprehensive reconstruction of the Ukrainian higher education system,” Mukherjee wrote.

Closer alignment

One step to achieve this would be to more closely align Ukraine with EU initiatives, such as the European Research Area and the European Higher Education Area, the DAAD proposed.

In its statement, the DAAD said that financial support from the German foreign office and the education and development ministries had enabled it to mobilise about €21 million for projects to maintain higher education links within Ukraine, and providing assistance and scholarships for refugee Ukrainian academics and students in Germany. The DAAD also funded around 170 projects involving German and Ukrainian universities, especially around the provision of digitisation tools to assist teaching and administration at Ukrainian universities.

About 10,000 Ukrainian academics, university staff and students have been supported by the DAAD and the Erasmus programme to date, the statement said.

“It’s inconceivable to imagine the rebuilding of Ukraine after the war without a renewed and reformed Ukrainian education system,” said Serhiy Kvit, president of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. “The revitalisation of Ukraine after victory in the war will be partly dependent on the role played by Ukrainian universities in further social development within our country. Ongoing German-Ukrainian cooperation will undoubtedly result in more rapid adaptation of Ukrainian higher education institutions to the European academic environment.”

Brain drain

In a separate statement, the Humboldt Foundation, a government-sponsored charity supporting international collaboration, said that in addition to protecting researchers, it was also important to create long-term prospects for them in their home country.

“There should be no permanent brain drain,” the foundation said. “As soon as possible, reintegration in Ukraine should be promoted and cooperation between the Ukrainian higher education sector and the international research community strengthened.”

The foundation hosts the Philipp Schwartz Initiative for scientists at risk. Since spring 2022, 96 researchers from Ukraine have been supported through the initiative at 60 research institutions in Germany.

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Academics now working abroad praise access to safe environments, resources and new opportunities

A year since Russia escalated its war against Ukraine with a full-scale invasion, Ukrainian researchers have expressed thanks for the support they have received from colleagues and institutions around Europe, which they say has allowed them to live and work safely, as well as expand their professional networks and knowledge.

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to carry on with my research,” says Stefaniia Demchuk, who was working as an assistant professor in the Department of Art History at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv a year ago, before being forced to flee with her son. She is now working as a research fellow at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, which she has been using as a base to communicate about her work.

“Being there, in safety, made me wonder how should I both thank my host university and be useful to my country in my own, academic way,” she says. “I can say that working as hard as I can is the best way to deal emotionally and intellectually with all the challenges the war [has] brought to us.”

These were sentiments echoed by many of those who shared their accounts with Research Professional News, some of which have been published in more complete form.

Viktoriya Kulyk, a professor of economics who was based in Ukraine and also moved to the Czech Republic with her daughter, where she now works at the University of South Bohemia, says she is “very grateful to my colleagues at [the] university for their support. During this difficult time for me, I was able to be with my daughter in safety and continue working in my profession.”

Many of the displaced researchers welcomed the ability to access resources for their work, opportunities to build up collaborations and knowledge in a new environment, or simply to live in safety.

A secure environment

“There’s no place in Ukraine to hide from this aggression,” says Olha Pyroh, a professor of economics who was based at Lviv Polytechnic National University and is now carrying out research comparing the economies of Ukraine and Canada at L’Université de Sherbrooke in the latter country. “All territory of Ukraine is being bombed and shelled every single day.”

Olga Barvinok, a historian who was based at Uman University and is now at the German Historical Institute in Warsaw, says the welcome many Ukrainian researchers have received from abroad has been a huge help.

“We all found ourselves away from home with our children but the understanding of the situation by the host party, their sincere desire to help, has caused us to overcome many emotional, domestic, professional difficulties,” she says, while describing the support she herself has received as “invaluable”.

Olena Puhachova, a sociologist who fled Ukraine and is now working at the University of Romania, says she was “provided with all conditions for comfortable living, research and teaching activities” in her new base.

New networks

One thing many Ukrainian researchers are grateful for is the ability to build new networks. For Barvinok, who left Ukraine with her 15-year-old son, there are “opportunities to work in archives, as well as establish contacts between scientists, exchange experience [and] opinions, and form new research prospects”.

Kulyk also says she has benefited from new ties, as “The experience of working with Czech colleagues [has] enriched me as a professional and as a person.”

A day before the anniversary of the escalation, the EU announced support for 124 more Ukrainian researchers through its dedicated MSCA4Ukraine scheme. The European Commission said 111 postdoctoral researchers and 13 doctoral candidates would be supported to continue their work in 21 countries, with many moving to Germany, the Czech Republic, France, Spain and Belgium.

“The scheme will allow organisations to host these researchers for a period [of] between eight months and two years,” it said. “When conditions permit, the scheme will also enable selected researchers to re-establish themselves in Ukraine to help rebuild and safeguard the country’s research and innovation capacity.

“Available support will allow them to maintain links with their research and innovation communities, carry out research placements and develop new projects.”

Marking the anniversary of the escalation, the European Council of EU national leaders issued a joint statement pledging to continue supporting Ukraine “in political, economic, humanitarian, financial and military terms”. They said: “All Ukrainians deserve to live in peace and choose freely their own destiny.”

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Strong UK response raises broader questions about higher education’s humanitarian role, says Jamie Arrowsmith

One year ago, as the world watched in horror as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unfolded, the UK higher education community was vociferous in its response and unanimous in its support for the people of Ukraine.

Statements condemning the invasion were swift and unequivocal, followed by sanctions and advice to end research and education partnerships with Russia. These were necessary but small steps in signalling our condemnation of the war.

However, it was clear that action was also needed—what could universities do to help? Understanding how to respond, and how to target resources to deliver effective support to those affected was initially a challenge.

As a first response, Universities UK International drew together a task group of universities, government departments, funders, sector agencies and third-sector organisations to think through the immediate issues. This allowed the sector to prioritise and assign actions.

This group’s work informed the UK government response, helping to identify visa and immigration issues, and the need for targeted hardship support. The rapid deployment of resources for students and policy changes to support Ukrainian nationals demonstrated that, when working together with a common objective, both the government and the sector can move very quickly indeed.

Twinning programme

This work was vital, but it was reactive. It wasn’t a considered and strategic effort to work out what support the Ukrainian university community wanted from the UK. Thankfully, we were approached by an organisation with strong ties to the region, Cormack Consultancy Group (CCG).

Its founder, Charles Cormack, helped convene a meeting of British and Ukrainian university leaders to discuss how the UK could best support them. The answer from Ukraine was simple: help us stay open.

From this meeting, the UK-Ukraine twinning initiative was born. The idea is simple: universities in the two countries are brought together, supported by CCG, to develop a strategic partnership, consisting of a five-year collaboration with a bespoke agreement.

At an institutional level, the aim is to help ensure universities can continue to operate. At a more strategic level, the ambitions are to maintain the integrity of Ukrainian higher education, help prevent brain drain, and position Ukraine’s universities to emerge from the crisis with the resources, skills and international experience to make a full contribution to the reconstruction.

To date, more than 100 partnerships have been established. Hundreds of Ukrainian students have visited the UK twin on mobility programmes. New research collaborations have been fostered. Practical support, from providing computers and furniture to access to learning resources and academic infrastructure, has helped mitigate some of the damage done to campuses and infrastructure.

In September 2022, the #TwinforHope campaign was launched to share stories from these collaborations. The programme has received funding from the UK foreign office and UK Research and Innovation has provided £5 million for research and innovation activities within the partnerships.

Beyond Ukraine

The programme is testament to the huge amount of work and support from across the sector and the team at CCG. Beyond twinning, the UK government and British Academy launched the Researchers at Risk scheme, Refugee Education UK has developed a platform to make it easier for displaced students from anywhere find information on scholarships in the UK. And longstanding organisations such as the Council for At-Risk Academics continue to provide an invaluable service.

Over the past year, it’s been humbling to support the work of so many committed and inspiring people through the Twinning scheme. And yet it has also highlighted challenges in how the higher education community responds to humanitarian crises.

First, despite the phenomenal support provided by the UK government, universities have struggled to offer help to Ukraine’s international students. While UK visa, immigration and funding policy mean these students cannot be easily supported, this feels unsatisfactory as a response.

Second, the war has raised questions over how universities can respond to other crises. The Twinning scheme is built on very particular circumstances, including clear political and public support, policy change and, of course, funding.

These things matter, but 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.

UK universities have been clear in their support for Ukraine, and for their peers, colleagues and the students affected by the war. Our Ukrainian partners are equally clear that these collaborations are for the long term. And we, as a university community, need to learn and understand how we can better support universities, students and researchers affected by other humanitarian crises.

Jamie Arrowsmith is the director of Universities UK International

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South African university’s comments follow vice-chancellor’s controversial meeting with Russian consul general

Stellenbosch University has called the establishment of new research links with Russia “impossible” due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the resulting geopolitical tensions.

The comment, on 19 February, came after the South African university drew criticism when it emerged that vice-chancellor Wim de Villiers (pictured) had hosted Aleksei Malenko, Russia’s consul general in Cape Town, the week before.

The consulate tweeted on 17 February: “Today Russian consul general in Cape Town Mr A Malenko held a meeting with rector and vice-chancellor of Stellenbosch University W de Villiers. The parties discussed [the] prospective of future cooperation in different spheres.”

Responses on the social media platform to the tweet ranged from support for the meeting to disgust. Leon Schreiber, an MP for South Africa’s main opposition party the Democratic Alliance, wrote: “This is what leadership bereft of all principle looks like.”

The university published a statement on its website saying that the meeting with the consul general was “purely academic in nature” and that De Villiers had “clearly framed the meeting within the understanding of the current geopolitical environment that makes collaboration impossible”. It added that the university “stands firmly against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”.

No new partnerships

In a statement to Research Professional News, a university spokesperson clarified that the comment referred to the initiation of new partnerships. A partnership with the HSE National Research University in Moscow, agreed “a number of years ago”, is still in place, they said.

“While we cannot prescribe the individual actions of our lecturers and students, there have been no reports regarding academic collaboration resuming between Stellenbosch University and Russian academics since 2021,” the spokesperson said.

“The university will not, and has not, pursued any further partnerships, as made clear by the vice-chancellor,” they added.

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Mariya Gabriel says office will create “stronger ties” between EU and Ukrainian R&D

The European Commission has confirmed that it intends to open a new office in Kyiv to coordinate Ukrainian participation in the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.

Having first set out the aim last year, on 2 February the Commission announced that it planned to open the office by the middle of 2023.

The announcement came as part of a high-level visit to Kyiv (pictured) by Commission politicians, who discussed topics including R&I cooperation with Ukraine’s government.

EU research commissioner Mariya Gabriel said the new office in Ukraine would “support its participation in the programme, safeguarding the country’s R&I capacity and creating stronger ties between the EU and Ukrainian R&I communities”.

‘Remarkable’ participation

Ukraine joined Horizon Europe as an associate member in June 2022. As part of its support for the country in response to the Russian invasion, the EU has waived Ukrainian financial contributions to the programme for three years.

The war has damaged around 15 per cent of Ukraine’s R&I infrastructure and affected about 40 per cent of its scientific workforce, the Commission said.

Nonetheless, it added that the country’s participation in Horizon Europe had been on a par with pre-war levels, with Ukraine having attracted a “remarkable” €13 million in funding up to January.

Need to rebuild

The office in Kyiv will be hosted by Ukraine’s National Research Foundation and will organise events on cooperation opportunities, training on drafting competitive proposals, and assistance for Ukrainian teams looking for collaborators in other countries.

“We need to protect and nurture Ukraine’s scientific knowledge and innovation capacity, as these will be key to rebuild their country,” said Gabriel.

The announcement came as a Commission assessment of Ukraine’s candidacy to join the EU warned that the country needed a strategy to retain its researchers.

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High-level EU visit to Kyiv includes cooperation on R&I and progress towards Ukraine joining bloc

Ukraine needs a strategy to prevent the loss of its researchers, the European Commission has warned, as talks on the country’s path towards EU membership took a step forward.

On 2 February, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (pictured with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky) and 15 other EU commissioners travelled to Kyiv for a meeting with Ukraine’s government; the agenda included EU accession for the country, as well as closer cooperation on research and innovation.

“Essential steps to preserve and nurture Ukraine’s R&I ecosystem are being taken,” said information about the visit published by the Commission.

Energy, financial support and humanitarian assistance against the backdrop of the ongoing war with Russia were also to be discussed, it said.

Talent pool in decline

A Commission document analysing Ukraine’s readiness to join the EU, published on 1 February, found that the country is “moderately prepared” for membership with respect to R&I But it highlighted that the number of researchers in Ukraine is falling.

Many researchers fled the country after Russia invaded nearly a year ago, with schemes set up across Europe to absorb those who were displaced.

“There is a need for a strategy to retain and attract R&I talent, in particular from the diaspora, support researchers’ careers and invest in research infrastructure,” the document says.

It also notes that Ukraine has “taken significant steps to modernise R&I policy and align it with EU policies and best practices”, but says the implementation of legislation to improve its R&I system “has yet to provide tangible results”.

Moldova and Georgia

The Commission also published analyses of the readiness of Moldova and Georgia to join the EU. It said both countries were also “moderately prepared” for EU membership with regards to their R&I.

Like with Ukraine, the Commission said Moldova needs a “clear strategy” to keep researchers in the country and to support their careers.

“Further integration of the gender dimension in research is needed, and the career of researchers [needs to be] made more attractive, in order to reverse the brain drain,” the country’s document says.

For Georgia, the Commission said a national roadmap for joining the European Research Area is “urgently required” and that it should include a “well-defined approach on open science but also on researcher mobility”.

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Former ERC head and multiple Fields medallists involved in International Centre for Mathematics in Ukraine

A new international centre for mathematics is being founded in Ukraine, with the involvement of some of the world’s top mathematicians and the support of the Ukrainian government.

The mission of the new International Centre for Mathematics in Ukraine (ICMU) is to “support top-level research in mathematics, with special emphasis on training younger generations of scientists and the development of mathematics in Ukraine”.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has taken a toll on the country’s research sector, with many institutions damaged and researchers displaced. But amid the ongoing war, a group of mathematicians of Ukrainian origin joined forces to create the new research centre, building on the country’s strong maths tradition.

The location of the centre is yet to be determined. With the intention of running thematic programmes and fellowships, researchers will be invited to attend the centre physically only once it is safe to do so. In the meantime, events will be arranged with partner institutions worldwide.

Top-level leadership

The ICMU’s coordination committee includes Maryna Viazovska, a Ukrainian winner of the Fields medal, which is considered as prestigious as a Nobel prize. The centre’s advisory board also boasts another three Fields medalists—Vladimir Drinfeld, Peter Scholze and Efim Zelmanov.

Viazovska, who is based at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, in Switzerland, said the ICMU “will follow the models of other established institutions for fundamental research”.

The first support meeting for the creation of the ICMU was held on 12 January at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, on the outskirts of Paris.

Following the meeting, French mathematician Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, former president of the European Research Council, said he was “very honoured” to have been elected as the first member of the ICMU’s board of trustees.

The ICMU, which is supported by the National Research Foundation of Ukraine, has as its founding and principal donor the algorithmic trading company XTX Markets, which has committed up to €1m in match funding for donations and pledges in 2023.

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National Technical University of Ukraine joins group amid hopes of its country entering the EU

The Cesaer group of over 50 European science and technology universities has welcomed its first Ukrainian member.

The National Technical University of Ukraine—Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI)—accepted Cesaer’s invitation to join the group amid Ukrainian hopes of becoming a member of the EU.

“Working together in Europe will ensure the fastest possible entry of our country into the EU with high standards of economic development and security, as well as advancing the contribution of education and science to building a new, more secure Europe together across the whole continent,” said KPI rector Mykhailo Zgurovsky.

Cesaer announced on 4 January that it had invited KPI to join the group back in October because of its “excellent science and technology research, education and innovation, and its leading position in Ukraine, Europe and beyond”. After accepting the invitation, KPI became a member of Cesaer on 1 January.

“The Putin regime’s war against Ukraine has indiscriminately attacked civilians, infrastructure and universities; just as with defence, the rebuilding of Ukraine will require support from the international community, and we look forward to working closely with KPI as it continues to play a vital role in securing Ukraine’s future,” said Cesaer president Rik Van de Walle.

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Polish academy launches three-year programme for Ukrainian research teams, while universities offer remote fellowships

European institutions are increasingly looking to support researchers who have stayed in Ukraine, including through a new long-term programme to support cross-border teams led from Poland.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) teamed up with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in the US to offer support to researchers fleeing the conflict, many of whom went to Poland.

But as the war drags on, not only are the initial support schemes offered by European institutions for displaced researchers reaching their end-point, but there is also increasing recognition of the need to support those who have remained in Ukraine.

On 7 December, PAS and NAS announced a three-year scheme for supporting Ukrainian research teams with up to 2.7 million Polish złoty (€576,500). The principal investigator would be based in Poland at a PAS research centre but would be free to build their own research team including members working in Ukraine.

Talent preservation

“We decided to change our programmes from supporting individual scholars to team funding to create more opportunities for predoctoral researchers and to allow for transborder cooperation,” Anna Plater-Zyberk, head of international cooperation at PAS, told Research Professional News.

“We hope that this will help to keep talents in the science enterprise,” she added.

Plater-Zyberk said PAS expects to support between seven and 10 research teams, with the potential for more in future. Funding provided by NAS, donated by a range of US-based organisations, will support up to five of those teams.

NAS president Marcia McNutt said the programme will make sure Ukrainian researchers “remain positioned to help Ukraine’s rebuilding and recovery process”.

Remote fellowships

Other research institutions across Europe are looking at how to continue providing support.

Speaking at an event held by the European University Association on 8 December, Florian Kohstall, head of the Academics in Solidarity mentoring programme at the Freie Universität Berlin, outlined how his university is supporting 25 Ukrainian scholars through remote fellowships.

“The situation in Ukraine is that not everybody can leave the country, especially men have to stay, and we also have a lot of internally displaced scholars within Ukraine,” Kohstall said.

He said the funding available through the remote scholarships—€1,500 a month for three months—is “limited” but that the university is looking at how to extend the scheme.

“From a three-month scholarship, you cannot expect publications or joint research projects,” he added. “The main purpose really…is the reintegration into the research environment.”

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Twinning programme receives boost for research and innovation projects

A scheme designed to link UK and Ukrainian universities has received a £5 million boost from Research England.

The funder donated the money to the twinning scheme set up by vice-chancellor’s body Universities UK International and the Cormack Consultancy Group, which helps UK universities partner with Ukrainian institutions to share resources and other support. So far, more than 100 partnerships have been established through the scheme.

Research England said on 28 November that the £5m would be used to fund research and innovation programmes between partner universities, support activities designed to “build capacity and resilience” in Ukrainian institutions, and help share best practice from the partnerships.

The money will also be used to carry out a “cross-sector review” of UK universities’ response to the crisis, which will identify any lessons to be learned for similar events in future.

Announcing the fund, Research England executive chair Jessica Corner said the partnerships forged through the twinning programme “are hugely important to support and build both longer-term research and innovation collaboration and capacity” in Ukraine and the UK.

“The injection of funding will be vital in enabling UK universities to increase and strengthen their commitment to supporting their Ukrainian partners, allowing them to address research and innovation challenges, while also providing new resources, which will enable the UK higher education sector to respond to future crises,” she said.

Research England said it expected the innovation projects would help to “position the UK sector as a global leader in crisis response”.

Science minister George Freeman said: “Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine has devastated much of the country. Our support for Ukraine’s research community is an important part of the UK’s ongoing efforts to use our science, technology and innovation for global good, and [to] support the Ukrainian people and their economic reconstruction.”

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Konstantin Vasyuk awarded fellowship of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, for helping industry “thrive”

The head of a Ukrainian IT association has been awarded a fellowship of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, in recognition of his promotion of the country’s tech industry during wartime.

Konstantin Vasyuk, executive director of the IT Ukraine Association, was awarded the fellowship from the UK professional body for helping Ukraine’s IT industry to “thrive, support the war effort and create new international business”.

According to BCS, Ukraine’s computer services industry generated $5.5 billion in exports so far this year, up by almost 13 per cent on the previous year, with exports to the UK second after the US, despite the conflict.

“Since the war started, we have demonstrated the sustainability and flexibility of Ukrainian tech,” said Vasyuk. “We have provided uninterrupted service to our customers and also gained unique expertise in military, unmanned tech and cybersecurity.

“The IT Ukraine Association will continue its activities in the UK and, together with our partners, create new business opportunities for Ukrainian tech companies in both European and global markets,” he added.

“Ukrainian tech remains attractive and competitive in the global market. Despite all the threats, we are ambitious to scale up the Ukrainian IT industry, transforming risks and challenges into opportunities.”

Rashik Parmar, group chief executive of BCS, said Vasyuk was a “committed and tireless ambassador for the role of IT in making the world a better place, and we are delighted to grant him a BCS fellowship which recognises his outstanding contribution to the IT industry”.

‘Ukraine is open for business’

The announcement came after BCS signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ukrainian association, which represents 80,000 IT professionals.

Speaking at a joint event in October, Parmar said the agreement would help Ukrainian IT firms succeed in the UK.

“Ukraine is open for business, and the memorandum of understanding allows us to build a mutually beneficial relationship. There’s so much talent there,” he said.

“By building this network, we can draw on our relationships to help them, and learn from their expertise, including what it takes to be brave and courageous.”

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War in Europe casts pall over meeting of body overseeing Antarctica’s vast and valuable resources

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has already disrupted scientific ties in Europe. Now its impact is being felt at the other end of the globe.

Research Professional News has been told by Swedish and Ukrainian officials that Russia raised concerns about Ukraine taking its turn chairing an international alliance for Antarctic conservation. Although the sabre-rattling ultimately came to nothing, it showcases how the brutal, bloody war in Ukraine is causing enormous problems in areas of research previously characterised by longstanding diplomatic cooperation.

Candidate controversy.

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources is responsible for the management of nearly 36 million square kilometres of ocean and controlling fishing and monitoring species including penguins and seals. 

Established by international agreement, CCAMLR is run by representatives from the EU and nations including Russia and Ukraine. The CCAMLR chair plays an important role in this work, guiding meetings and talks and making proposals to resolve issues.

The alliance elects its chairs. But since 1982 it has done so in alphabetical order of the English language, with Ukraine in line for the coming two years.

Even before a major series of CCAMLR meetings that ended last week there were fears that Russia might try to block Ukraine’s turn.

Andriy Fedchuk, head of Ukraine’s National Antarctic Scientific Center’s International Scientific and Technical Cooperation Department, said that during a closed meeting of delegates a representative for Russia did indeed question whether Ukraine should be the next chair. He added that he did not know why.

“Only Russia tried to object to the candidacy, but changes to the rules of procedure require consensus,” he told Research Professional News.

In the end, he said, Russia lacked support from other nations for an objection and had to be content with stating “its expectation that the chair of the Commission would continue the tradition of maintaining non-political impartial objectivity”.

Jakob Granit was chair of CCAMLR for the last two years. He said there was no formal objection to Ukraine becoming chair.

“There were concerns about a possible block of the ‘automatic’ election but it never happened,” said Granit, head of the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management.

He acknowledged that the Russian delegation had called for “the incoming chair to be neutral and objective” and there was “a questioning if that can be the case because of the war”.

The next challenge

David Agnew, the CCAMLR executive secretary, also said there was no proposal to change rules of procedure and in the end no members objected to the alphabetic rotation.

He added when an official write up is published “in a few weeks”, the relevant section will read: “The Commission welcomed Ukraine to serve as chair.”

The alliance’s chair for the next two years is Ukrainian diplomat Vitalii Tsymbaliuk, who is known for time spent at Ukraine’s embassy in Chile, from where he supported his country’s Antarctic expeditions.

The Commission will meet again in a special session in 2023 to discuss creating new marine protected areas. This meeting will be “the first challenge” for Tsymbaliuk, Fedchuk said.

One country that has objected strongly to the creation of these protected areas in the past: Russia.

Russia’s foreign ministry and embassy in Australia did not respond to requests for comment.

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Country takes over as chair of Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources

Ukraine has become the new chair of an international alliance for Antarctic conservation, despite fears that Russia would try to block efforts to appoint the country.

Ukrainian diplomat Vitalii Tsymbaliuk will represent the country as chair of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) for the next two years, the commission confirmed on 4 November.

The appointment comes despite an earlier warning from a Ukrainian government official that Russia might attempt to interfere due to its invasion of Ukraine.

CCAMLR is responsible for the science-based management of most species in the Southern Ocean. The elected chair plays an important role, guiding meetings and talks, and making proposals to resolve issues.

Ukraine takes over from Sweden as CCAMLR chair. Jakob Granit, outgoing chair and director general of the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, told Research Professional News he was “very pleased to see Ukraine taking over” as chair of the council.

Since 1982, CCAMLR has picked the chair by order of member names arranged alphabetically in the English language and Ukraine was next in line. Andrii Fedchuk, head of Ukraine’s National Antarctic Scientific Center’s International Scientific and Technical Cooperation Department, previously said it was “highly likely” Russia would try to interfere.

But Granit described the process to appoint the new chair as “automatic”.

Granit added: “Members of CCAMLR will support Ukraine in the important task of conserving Antarctica’s marine living resources.”

According to the Ukrainian embassy in Chile, where Tsymbaliuk recently served as a diplomat, he is now based at Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv.

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European scheme’s funds insufficient to support hundreds of researchers displaced by war

A scheme to support scientists displaced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine has said it has received a “remarkably large” number of applications, only a small fraction of which could be funded.

The European Fund for Displaced Scientists was set up in March 2022 to support researchers displaced internally within Ukraine as well as those forced to leave the country.

Announcing the first grants on 1 November, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, which runs the scheme, said it had received 244 requests for support from researchers outside Ukraine and 105 applications from institutions in the country.

Only 35 researchers outside the country could be funded with the money available, along with six of the applications from Ukrainian institutions, which the federation says will support 64 scientists.

The federation’s president, Antonio Loprieno, said the number of applications was “remarkably large” and a “clear indication” that this and other schemes to assist the country’s research community were needed.

Under the scheme, run in collaboration with the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, Ukrainian researchers outside the country can receive up to €25,000 for 12 months and institutions inside Ukraine €75,000 for the same period.

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Applications involving Ukrainian institutions should receive preferential evaluation, researcher groups say

Groups representing early career researchers in Europe have urged the EU’s research and higher education programmes to give preference to proposals involving Ukrainian institutions and academics to aid Ukraine during the Russian invasion.

The Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, Euratom nuclear research programme and Erasmus+ programme for academic exchange should make involvement of Ukrainian institutions “a cross-cutting priority to be included in the evaluation of proposals and/or as a crucial selection factor” if all else is equal, the groups said in a joint letter to the EU’s R&I commissioner Mariya Gabriel on 21 October.

Such a move would help to prevent academics leaving Ukraine and provide them with financial and other support, said the group—which comprised the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers, International Consortium of Research Staff Associations, Marie Curie Alumni Association and Young Academy of Europe.

Ukrainian researchers and institutions have full access to the EU’s research programmes, and the bloc has waived the country’s financial contributions to the programmes for 2021 and 2022. The groups called on the EU to extend this waiver until at least the end of the war, “and for as long as necessary thereafter”, because otherwise the measures might lead to “additional financial pressure” on Ukraine.

Praise for Kyiv office plans

The groups thanked Gabriel for her past calls on European researchers to pursue cooperation with Ukrainian counterparts and said it was “great news” that the Commission intends to set up an office in Kyiv for supporting Ukrainian participation in Horizon Europe. 

“These, for us, are clear indicators that the Commission fully acknowledges the potential of European projects in ensuring the sustainability of Ukrainian academia,” they said.

But they added that “working with Ukrainian institutions might often require excessive additional effort and lead to increased uncertainty for international consortia, highlighting the need for extra incentives for partners to pursue such cooperations”.

Consultations with researchers and others within and outside Ukraine informed the calls, the groups said, as they also sought an overall increase to the Horizon Europe budget to help fund the moves.

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Crisis-mode response must now shift to a more long-term and strategic effort, says Oksana Seumenicht

More than 200 days after Russia invaded Ukraine, the republic not only still stands but shows continued resilience, creativity and grit. Earlier this month, the European Association for International Education gave its award for vision and leadership to Ukraine’s higher education sector as a whole, in recognition of its fortitude and resilience.

From the first days of the war, it has been clear that most Ukrainian researchers are remaining in the country, although many have been internally displaced. They were soon calling for a shift from crisis mode towards a more systemic effort to support the country’s universities and research. 

To get an idea of what was needed, in April the UAScience.Reload project, an initiative of Ukrainian scholars based across the world, surveyed more than 2,000 Ukrainian researchers. The most common requests were for research projects to be engaged remotely, mobility programmes and access to the literature and data sources and other information. 

The Twitter group #ScienceForUkraine has begun listing requests, ranging from collaborations to equipment, to books and laptops, from Ukrainian academic institutions. And Ganna Tolstanova, vice-rector of research at the Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, says that while undergraduate education is holding up well, opportunities for PhD students to work abroad are badly needed.

Organisations in other countries have launched efforts to support researchers inside Ukraine. The German Research Foundation (DFG) announced that German researchers can apply for funding to support the projects and living expenses of collaboration partners in Ukraine. And the $1.5 million (€1.5m) European Fund for Displaced Scientists, run by the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (Allea) and the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, will support displaced scholars and Ukrainian institutions. 

There are also bilateral initiatives. Universities UK International, in partnership with the Cormack Consultancy Group and with funding from the UK government, has set up a twinning programme. As of mid-August, 75 Ukrainian institutions had signed partnerships with those in the UK, US, Canada and Belgium. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has funded 73 projects in its Ukraine Digital programme. Another project, called the Ukrainian Global University, similarly aims to build partnerships between the country and other institutions. 

Ukraine’s association agreement with the EU’s Horizon Europe and Euratom programmes, which entered into force in June, has given the country’s researchers more options. Research commissioner Mariya Gabriel has stressed the role of Horizon Europe’s €3.3 billion funding stream for Widening Participation and Spreading Excellence in integrating partners from widening countries, including Ukraine, while the European Innovation Council has announced €20m of support for Ukrainian startups. The launch of MSCA4Ukraine, which provides €25m to support fellowships for Ukrainian PhD students and postdocs through the Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions, is expected shortly. 

Support for displaced researchers continues, although Ukrainians have been dismayed that some schemes are also open to Russians and Belarusians. With Russian rockets continuing to destroy Ukrainian cities, seemingly targeting schools, universities, hospitals and research infrastructure such as the National Gene Bank of Plants, and the death toll of scientists increasing, Ukrainians see this equivalence not as science diplomacy but moral bankruptcy.

The next phase of support should focus on rebuilding Ukrainian research and higher education. The European University Association has established a taskforce to support the reconstruction of Ukrainian higher education. In June, leaders of the national academies of Poland, Ukraine, the US, Germany, Denmark and the UK, along with Allea, met in Warsaw and released a 10-point plan for “rebuilding Ukraine’s science and R&I”. 

They recommend for Ukrainian researchers temporarily working abroad to maintain institutional affiliations with their homeland, donate laboratory and research equipment, and plan for post-war recovery, including the modernisation of Ukraine’s research, innovation and education. Importantly, the plan calls for the establishment of a coordination council to maximise impacts, minimise redundancy, and create synergies. All in all, the scale and breadth of the research community’s response has been remarkable. But, given the large number of national and international initiatives, such a coordinated and sustained effort is now required. 

Oksana Seumenicht is international relations manager at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, and a co-founder of the Ukrainian Academic International Network (Ukrainet)

This article also appeared in Research Europe

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Early evidence indicates a significant increase in the number of researchers fleeing Russia

By the time his country invaded Ukraine on 24 February, Russian researcher Arthur Zalevsky had spent about a year looking for a postdoctoral position in the United States to advance his career.

The bioinformatician suddenly feared that international travel restrictions might hamper his movement, so he accelerated his hunt. In the first week of March, he found his current position at the University of California, San Francisco. The next day, he used personal savings to fly to Turkey and later Serbia, where he applied for a United States visa. “I didn’t worry about money, only about the new ‘iron curtain’,” he tells Research Professional News.

Zalevsky is far from the only researcher in Russia whose career has been affected by the invasion. With Russian missiles raining down on Ukrainian cities, politicians and academic organisations around the world have focused their support on those whose lives and careers in Ukraine have been torn apart. But researchers in Russia, who may not support the war, are also feeling its effects.

Western countries and the EU have hit Russia with sanctions, which have limited access to funding, equipment and collaborators. Researchers and others in Russia also face the prospect of imprisonment for criticising their country’s actions.

Now, data from universities, law firms and groups that arrange placements abroad for scholars seeking refuge indicate a dramatic increase in the number of researchers trying to leave Russia since the invasion, which entered a new stage on 21 September when Russia’s president announced a partial mobilisation of reservists, the first call-up since World War II. Reuters reported that flight prices had skyrocketed and some flights sold out following the announcement.

Surveys of migrants who departed in the weeks after 24 February have recorded motivations ranging from concern about politics and the economy to threats against individuals. Although national research funding agencies have not seen drops in competition, and the complete picture of changes in migration since February remains unclear, research leaders worry that Russia is facing an academic exodus.

“We can only observe the increasing size of emigration but cannot give any numbers,” says Andrei Lodkin, secretary of the St Petersburg Maths Society, who plans to stay in Russia because of his age.

Increasing demand

In recent months, some universities and groups that arrange placements abroad for scholars seeking refuge have started to see an increase in the number of applications from those with ties to Russia.

Between 1 February and 1 August, Lund University in Sweden received applications from 66 Russian citizens, up 29 per cent from the same period in 2021. The number of people applying for positions in the faculty of natural sciences rose from 12 to 20. The US-based nonprofit Scholars at Risk has received about 50 applications from Russia for placements abroad in the months since the invasion, while in the six months before the attack it received fewer than five.

Some lawyers are also receiving more emigration enquiries from Russian researchers. Katya Stelmakh, an immigration lawyer in Seattle, Washington, says her firm received one or two US immigration enquiries a month from Russian researchers before the invasion, but that has risen to three or four. Similarly, Rakhmad Sobirov, an immigration lawyer in Toronto, Canada, says that before the invasion, his firm had received no immigration enquiries for Canada from Russian academics, whereas it has since received between 15 and 20.

Surveys of post-invasion Russian emigrants suggest the war has helped to drive up the number of departures. One survey carried out in March and April found that about 11 per cent of 217 people who had worked in science or education left for political reasons; about another 11 per cent for economic reasons; and 10 per cent because of threats. “Moral outrage, expected isolation, associated reputational costs, and subsequent decrease in pay and career perspectives played a big role,” says Margarita Zavadskaya, a political scientist at the University of Helsinki, who worked on the survey.

Another survey, conducted between March and May, of people who emigrated to Armenia and Georgia after the invasion, which included 27 researchers, found that the main reason for their departure was a “difficult psychological situation”, followed by the “threat of political persecution”, lack of prospects for the researchers or their children, censorship, technological barriers to work, departures of others, a sense of “powerlessness” and the threat of “hostilities”.

Uncertain scale

Academic emigration from Russia is not a new phenomenon, and some people think it may be too early to determine the impact of the invasion. Publication data show a circulation of scholars into and out of Russia before the Covid-19 pandemic. A 2021 study of location information for researchers who published between 1996 and 2020 with a Russian affiliation found there was net migration into Russia, or roughly balanced circulation, in the years since 2009.

Increases in university job-application data might also be due to changes in opportunity rather than demand. At Lund University in Sweden, there were drops in 2022 of applications from Russian citizens in the faculties of engineering, social sciences and law. “Research is a highly specialised field; a relevant position might only be available once in every fourth or 10th year,” says Ulrika Steidler, a system manager in the university’s academic support unit.

At the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, researchers continue to arrive from overseas. Since February, fewer researchers have been arriving in the lab from JINR member states in the EU, but this is “perhaps partially compensated [for] by the increased number of researchers from other countries”, says Richard Lednický, chief researcher of the Laboratory of High Energy Physics in Dubna and a former vice-director of JINR. Lednický adds that he does not intend to break his contract with JINR because the loss of contact between people “can escalate the conflict to a much worse global one”.

JINR and ministries in Russia responsible for science and foreign affairs did not respond to a request for comment, but national research funding agencies say they have not seen less demand for calls. The Russian Science Foundation told Research Professional News that it “did not notice any decrease in the interest of researchers in its competitions”, with data on this set to be published in March 2023.

Long-term outlook

Although the scale of the apparent emigration of researchers is unknown, trade union leaders are concerned. Andronick Arutyunov, a mathematician at Free Moscow University, who co-chairs the Russian higher education staff union University Solidarity, says he intends to stay to support domestic research and education unless he faces criminal prosecution. But he knows of about 50 to 70 academics who left in the first six months after the invasion and says most others he talks to have thought about leaving because of opposition to the invasion, “political repression” or financial problems.

Environmental researcher Hannah Skyrhan moved to Russia from Belarus for a research position in 2021 and does not intend to return to Belarus in the near future. But friends have advised her to leave Russia and she has been searching for a new job elsewhere in Europe since the invasion began. She says she “understand[s] everything from the Ukrainian side” and is open to positions outside of science and academia. “I continue efforts to leave Russia because I personally can’t live among zombies,” she says.

For those outside of Russia, the plight of researchers and others who have fled Ukraine—or remain there trying to make the best of a nightmare situation—remains the chief concern. Within Russia, the prospects for their country also look bleak to academics.

Even when the conflict ends, Arutyunov is pessimistic about the near-term outlook for Russian research. International sanctions and lost ties have significantly affected the economy, grant opportunities, research projects, and the availability to source or repair hardware and software. The continuing loss of scientists is just one more problem for the profession. “First, finish the war,” then “change the Russian government and all areas of politics”, and “then, in perhaps seven or 10 years, we will start repairing Russian research and education”, he says.

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Ministers failed to adopt draft declaration ahead of November summit in Bali

South African officials have told Research Professional News that disputes over Ukraine led to education ministers from the G20 economic grouping failing to adopt a declaration on education.

There were high hopes for an agreement when ministers met from 31 August to 1 September under the theme ‘recover together, recover stronger through education’. However, they were unable to adopt their planned joint declaration on education.

At the time, South Africa’s higher education minister Blade Nzimande attributed the failure to “disagreement over a matter that does not belong in this forum, but rather belongs to the United Nations conflict resolution mechanisms”.

But the nature of the disagreement was not made public. This week, Nzimande’s office confirmed to Research Professional News that the disagreement centred on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Stumbling block

Diplomatic tensions over the war in Ukraine have become a major stumbling block for the G20 bloc, which will hold its next summit in Indonesia in November.

Education is not the only G20 work-stream affected. A meeting of G20 finance ministers in July also failed to produce a communique due to disagreements over the war in Ukraine.

Russia is a member of the G20. Several other members of the bloc, including summit host Indonesia and South Africa, were among those that abstained from a UN resolution earlier this year condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

But the G20 also includes the European Union and the United States, which both denounce Russia’s actions and are supporting Ukraine’s military efforts.

The G20 heads of state summit is scheduled to take place in Bali on 15-16 November. 

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UUK and Ukraine’s education and science minister welcome actions of twinning scheme

Universities UK has launched a campaign to highlight the work UK institutions are doing to help their partners in Ukraine through UUK’s twinning scheme.

UUK chief executive Vivienne Stern announced the #TwinforHope campaign at the UUK annual conference in Leicester on 8 September, which she said was part of efforts to explain the scheme “to a broader audience”.

A total of 75 universities have signed agreements with Ukrainian institutions under the twinning scheme, run by UUK and the Cormack Consultancy Group, since it was launched in April. In June the UK government set aside £190,000 to fund more partnerships under the twinning scheme.

‘Colossal team effort’

Actions taken under the scheme include the mutual recognition of credits so Ukrainian students can continue studying online, offering assistance to rebuild campuses and providing digital access to libraries.

A video highlighting case studies from the scheme was released as part of the #TwinforHope campaign. Stern told the conference that universities had made “a colossal team effort” to support Ukrainian institutions.

She said that after the invasion began in February the “conversation that we started with Ukrainian universities was based on the premise that we should learn from them what they wanted and then we should act, and that’s where the twinning initiative came from”.

Ukraine’s minister of education and science Serhiy Shkarlet told the conference via video link that said Ukraine’s education system “has suffered from the atrocities of the Russians” since the invasion began. More than 2,000 education institutions have been damaged and more than 280 destroyed, he said.

He said he was grateful for the “brilliant [twinning] initiative” and for British colleagues who had “offered a helping hand to Ukrainians through this difficult time”.

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Country can access funding and support for supercomputing, artificial intelligence and other digital technologies

Organisations in Ukraine can now access EU funding and support for work on areas including supercomputing and artificial intelligence, after the country was associated to the bloc’s €7.5 billion 2021-27 Digital Europe programme.

The association was finalised on 5 September, as political representatives met to discuss how the EU could provide further support to help Ukraine cope with the Russian invasion. No contribution to the Digital Europe budget is expected from Ukraine in 2022.

European Commission executive vice-president Margrethe Vestager said that Ukraine had “shown remarkable resilience and technological prowess” in dealing with the invasion, and that the association would enable the EU and Ukraine to “benefit from each other’s know-how and expand our digital capacities”.

Thierry Breton, the commissioner for internal market, said: “This will be instrumental in bringing Ukrainian businesses, researchers and public authorities closer to the EU in terms of building common digital infrastructures, as well as fostering digital transformation for the benefit of our people.”

The programme also supports the development of advanced digital skills and the rollout of digital technologies, including through innovation hubs.

More broadly, Josep Borrell, the EU high representative for foreign affairs, said that the main message from the political meeting was “that the EU will continue supporting Ukraine whatever threat, whatever blackmail Russia puts on us…politically, financially, in the humanitarian field and militarily, as long as it takes, and as much as needed”.

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Report from conference on Ukraine says support should also be flexible and inclusive

Academia should put in place “more sustainable structures” to deal with crises such as Ukraine’s invasion by Russia, European and global organisations have urged.

The advice came in the report of a conference on Ukraine that took place in the summer, which was written up by organisations including the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (Allea) and the International Science Council, and published on 31 August.

Their report sets out seven main recommendations for making support systems better equipped to handle such crises, aimed at governments, universities, and other academic and multilateral organisations.

These actors must work together to support access to research and higher education, according to the first recommendation, and national governments should be able to rapidly scale up support in times of crisis.

Cooperation is also needed on an international level, the authors say, adding that providing support across borders “will need to include standing structures, budget lines and policies…on both a temporary and long-term basis”.

In addition, the report says that support should be designed to be inclusive rather than excluding groups based on characteristics such as language, family status or cultural background, and that it should be flexible enough to respond to evolving needs.

Delegates at the Conference on the Ukraine Crisis, held online on 15 June, highlighted the need to support Ukrainian academics remaining in the country, as well as those who had left.

Allea president Antonio Loprieno said: “We are now six months into the invasion and there is a real need to remind people that the crisis has not gone away, so the report is very timely.”

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Funding pot worth €5.5 million will support Ukrainian reconstruction and reduce skill shortages in Finland

The Finnish ministry of education and culture has created a fund worth €5.5 million to support higher education institutions in their efforts to offer places to Ukrainian refugees.

The funding is part of the Finnish government’s action plan to support Ukrainian higher education students and researchers, which aims to provide between 2,000 and 4,000 students with study opportunities.

The funds will be distributed between 21 projects that will provide education in English and help Ukrainians with preparatory courses so they can enter Finnish universities and institutions of applied sciences. The students can choose individual study paths, the ministry said, so they can either continue a degree programme they started at home or complete modules that can be used as accreditation for a degree in both Finland and Ukraine.

“It is our responsibility to help those in distress, and education also plays a role in this work,” said Petri Honkonen, Finland’s minister of science and culture. “Finland wants to support the reconstruction of Ukraine by means of professional skills.”

However, the minister also pointed out that the programme would enable the government to increase the number of international higher education students in the country. Finland suffers a severe skills shortage and has struggled to educate enough professionals in fields such as business and engineering.

The 21 projects funded under the programme are chosen based on the educational needs of Ukrainian students and the needs of different regions and industrial sectors in Finland, the ministry said. For example, the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences will offer preparatory education for immigrant journalists, and the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences will offer new competence and guidance in the software sector and digital skills.

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Mother and son researchers give their story after six months of war

When Olena Bazilinska, an economics professor, woke up in Ukraine on 21 February with a train ticket to Poland, she was expecting a short trip.

Six months later, she has still not been able to return home.

Between then and now, Russia invaded her home country, bringing death and devastation every day since.

Today marks six months since the invasion and it is also Ukraine’s Independence Day, celebrated annually to commemorate the country breaking away from the USSR in 1991.

For Olena, the way she left her country just before the outbreak of war was “extraordinary” as it mirrored the experience of her mother in 1945 who unknowingly left on a train right before Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union.

Olena says her fellow researchers have mostly remained in Ukraine while she has stayed away because her son, Pavlo Bazilinskyy, lives in the Netherlands where he works as an artificial intelligence researcher at Eindhoven University of Technology.

Olena—a researcher at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy—has been staying with Pavlo as the war continues.

Although not under threat from Russian bombs like many of her colleagues, life has still not been easy for her. Her mother, Kateryna Dufina—an engineer who worked on the Soviet Concorde—is still in Ukraine and is in an area that has been under heavy shelling from the Russians.

Research Professional News spoke to both Olena and Pavlo about their experiences and their hopes for their country.

Dual reality

While many of Olena’s colleagues are trying to move away from big cities to small villages, she said that “things are still moving forward” at Ukrainian universities, where lessons have moved online and academics are busily preparing for the beginning of the academic year in September.

“It is now like a state of dual reality as, on the one hand there is a war going on, but on the other hand we are preparing for the new academic year,” she says.

“It is as if nothing has happened and it is just a continuation of Covid, which made everything go online.”

When she got the lecturing schedule for the upcoming year, it came with a note that said lessons were online for now but they do not know if they will go back.

This is the “main problem” for her Ukrainian colleagues: they “do not know what will happen tomorrow”.

Seeking shelter

Pavlo told Research Professional News that a big issue with returning to in-person teaching is that there are no bomb shelters at many university buildings.

Some university buildings have been destroyed by Russian bombing. Olena’s previous university, Chernihiv Polytechnic National University, was severely damaged this year by Russian attacks on the area.

But she said there has since been a “collective effort” from her previous colleagues and their spouses to rebuild the university.

The building is now “surprisingly almost useable”, Pavlo said.

Hopes for the future

To help Ukrainian researchers, many European countries and academic organisations have offered a range of support, including funded placements. Some have raised concerns about this giving rise to ‘brain drain’ from Ukraine.

Olena says that although this is a concern, the majority of researchers who have left want to return, as Ukrainians have a “strong feeling of identity”.

She is positive about the future of science and research in the country.

She wants to see more support for the families of Ukrainian researchers going to Europe, as “protecting relatives is the main concern for all human beings”.

She also hopes Ukrainian researchers will be offered more help in accessing the internet and learning foreign languages in order to facilitate international collaborations.

Pavlo echoed what he had previously outlined in a speech at the EuroScience Open Forum in July, that support from other countries should have an emphasis on short-term projects.

He believes that academics fleeing war cannot commit to longer-term projects due to their desire to return home.

Once the war is over, he would like Ukraine to become a leader in open science and cross-border research. But more than this, as it looks forward to future independence days, he says it must continue being a “pinnacle of freedom”.

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UK university to donate research equipment and funding to rebuild air raid shelters

The University of Sheffield has set up a partnership with Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in Ukraine as part of a wider twinning scheme.

KPI is “Ukraine’s largest and oldest universities, renowned for engineering teaching and research, but its staff, students and day-to-day operations have been seriously affected by the conflict”, said the University of Sheffield.

For example, it said, more than 1,600 students and 500 academics at KPI have left Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February, and twelve students have died in the war.

‘Significant political dimension’

The new partnership will see the Sheffield donate laboratory equipment, share access to its library, match academics, as well as donate £20,000 to rebuild or repair air raid shelters on the KPI campus.

Sergii Sydorenko, vice-rector for international relations at the institute, described the £20,000 donation as “not only humanitarian” but also as “a significant political dimension in the context of the incredible amount of Britain’s assistance to Ukraine in this war”.

To help in the longer term, 13 workstreams have been set up between the University of Sheffield and the Ukrainian institute to help identify how the Russell Group institution can help.

The university said its offer was designed “to help KPI, its staff and students, survive in the short term and also thrive in the longer-term so they can help to rebuild their country following the invasion”.

‘Help for Ukrainian university staff and students essential’

Malcolm Butler, vice-president for global engagement at the University of Sheffield, said UK universities want to “do all we can to help our peers at Ukrainian universities who have seen their institutions devastated by the war”.

“It’s essential that we help staff and students at Ukrainian universities with the short-term assistance they urgently need now, but also build long-lasting ties through collaboration and exchange, so we can help them to rebuild their education system and their country once the war is over,” he added.

The twinning agreement is part of a larger programme set up by vice-chancellors’ body Universities UK International and run by the Cormack Consultancy Group, which has seen more than 70 UK universities taking part so far.

The programme is designed to offer assistance to Ukrainian universities while avoiding long-term brain drain of academics from Ukraine.

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Programme officer and programme manager sought to implement EU fellowship scheme

Scholars at Risk, an international advocacy group for academic freedom, is recruiting for new roles to support displaced researchers from Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

With the war showing no sign of abating, SAR’s Europe wing, based at Maynooth University in Ireland, has open vacancies for a programme manager and a programme officer to work on implementing the EU’s MSCA4Ukraine fellowship programme.

“The scheme will enable researchers from Ukraine to continue their work at academic and non-academic organisations in EU member states and [countries associated to the EU R&D programme], while maintaining their connections to research and innovation communities in Ukraine,” the job descriptions say.

They add that it “may also facilitate researchers’ reintegration in Ukraine if conditions for safe return are met and contribute to strengthening the Ukrainian university and research sector, and its collaboration and exchange with the international research community”.

Job specifics

MSCA4Ukraine is being implemented by a consortium coordinated by SAR Europe and including Germany’s Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the European University Association.

Both of the roles SAR Europe is seeking to fill are new positions, with the programme manager role being full-time.

The manager will be on a contract until 30 June 2026 and receive a salary of €51,170 to €73,009 per year, while the programme officer will be on a 24-month contract and receive a salary of €39,628 to €56,860 per year.

Principal duties for the programme officer will include administration, matchmaking, advising researchers and host institutions, and grant management.

Applications for both roles are open until 24 August.

Last month, EU research ministers discussed how they could increase their support for Ukraine, with the bloc’s research commissioner Mariya Gabriel saying the European Commission was talking to Ukrainian stakeholders about their needs.

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Programme aims to provide a safe academic space to scholars affected by the war

The European University Institute has given postdoctoral fellowships to five Ukrainian researchers as part of its effort to provide funding opportunities to scholars affected by the war.

The EU’s postgraduate and postdoctoral teaching and research institute announced on 3 August that the five researchers have been awarded 12-month fellowships to be undertaken at its site in Florence, Italy.

The institute partnered with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre evidence service to run the scheme, which aims to provide resources to facilitate the return of Ukrainian researchers to their country to restore the research ecosystem after the Russian invasion.

The joint JRC-EUI programme will focus on providing a “safe space” for the academics and has placed a specific emphasis on female researchers, the two organisations said.

They said the programme aims to integrate the researchers into the EUI community through dedicated academic activities and initiatives while training them in all aspects of an academic career, including publishing and applying for research grants.

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Initiative intended to help students continue studies and remain in Ukraine for half of scholarship

Poland’s National Science Centre research funder (NCN) has extended its scheme to help Ukrainian academics fleeing the Russian invasion, so students will benefit from it as well as researchers.

So far, 111 Ukrainian PhD holders have found employment in Poland under the scheme, the NCN said in an update on 26 July. 

From now onward, it said, students from Ukraine will be also supported to “continue their studies, work on their MA thesis or PhD dissertation, or pursue other forms of education in Poland”.

Scholarships will be paid out over six to 12 months and students will be able to spend up to half of that time in Ukraine working remotely. The maximum amount available for one student is 5,000 zlotys (€1,000).

Applications are open to research institutions.

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Group intends to support Ukrainian universities in recovery from war, including by stopping brain drain

The European University Association has set up a taskforce to support the reconstruction of higher education in Ukraine, with academic organisations among those that have suffered damage to buildings and severe disruption during the Russian invasion.

The taskforce’s aim is to provide guidance to support Ukrainian universities “during and in their recovery from the effects of the war”, and “in the reconstruction and long-term development of the higher education system”, the EUA announced on 22 July.

It said the taskforce would give recommendations on issues including governance and leadership, quality assurance and strategies to counter brain drain, which the EUA said was a “major concern for the Ukrainian higher education system”.

The taskforce has been established for two years initially and will be chaired by Ivanka Popović, former rector of the University of Belgrade in Serbia and an EUA board member.

Taskforce members were nominated by the national rectors’ conferences that are part of the EUA, including the Union of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions of Ukraine, which recently joined.

They include Mykola Trofymenko, deputy chair of the Ukrainian rector’s union, and Mychailo Wynnyckyj, Ukraine’s former head of secretariat of the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance.

Non-Ukrainian members include Gerhard Duda, former head of the Brussels office of the German Rectors’ Conference; Milena Králíčková, rector of Charles University Prague in the Czech Republic; and James Rodgers, assistant vice-president for global engagement at City, University of London.

The first meeting of the taskforce is set to take place after the summer.

The announcement came on the same day that EU research ministers discussed support for Ukraine at a meeting in Prague.

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Move is “step forward” in integrating Ukrainian education system into European structures, says group head

The main representative body for universities in Ukraine has joined the European University Association, a group of 850 European universities and national rectors’ conferences that works to influence EU policy in the sector.

As a new member, the Union of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions of Ukraine will be represented on the EUA Council, which decides on the EUA’s priorities and policies.

Petro Kulikov, chair of the rectors union, said his country’s integration into the European community is “of great strategic importance to us”, due to the ongoing war following Russia’s invasion.

He said joining the EUA was “a step forward” in a process to “radically transform Ukrainian higher education”.

“The Union of Rectors of Ukraine’s accession into the European University Association means being among the changers, implementing ideas and making them a reality,” Kulikov said.

“We will become the driving force that will make significant efforts to integrate the Ukrainian system of education into the European structures.”

In June, the EU granted Ukraine candidate status, which is a first step in joining the bloc. It has also allowed Ukraine to join its Horizon Europe research and innovation programme without making a budget contribution for two years.

A call for applications to a new funding scheme to support displaced researchers from Ukraine is due to open in September. MSCA4Ukraine, funded by the bloc’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fellowships scheme, will enable Ukrainian researchers to continue their work in EU member states and counties associated to Horizon Europe.

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A physics experiment in Japan is allowing Russian co-authorship by removing all institutional affiliations

Publications are the lifeblood of research, but the war in Ukraine has derailed longstanding protocols for how scientists are named on them.

Some institutions, such as the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France (pictured), no longer allow the submission of joint publications with authors affiliated with Russian institutions, because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

At a physics experiment in Japan called Belle II, which studies subatomic particles called B mesons, institutional affiliations and details of funding sources are now being omitted by all authors on publications, as an alternative way forward.

On 8 June, the institutional board of the Belle II collaboration announced that because some members could not be listed as authors on papers together with Russian institutes or funding agencies, it would abandon affiliations entirely on future papers.

The project, which involves around 1,000 physicists from 26 countries, also plans not to acknowledge any national funding agencies in these publications. Previous publications have credited Russian state funding.

Board chair Boštjan Golob told Research Professional News that the change was not driven by restrictions from funding agencies but by the “ethical reservations” of some researchers. The policy was developed to support Ukrainian colleagues, condemn Russia’s military action and support scientific collaboration with individual Russian colleagues, he said.

“We tried to reach some kind of policy satisfying on one hand a clear statement of support to our Ukrainian colleagues and condemnation of the Russian aggression, and on the other hand [acknowledging the] historical role of scientific collaboration as a bridge among nations.”

A viable solution?

Some leaders of other labs that have Russian links or researchers think the Belle II approach has merit.

At the European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility in Germany, publications with authors with Russian affiliation are currently subject to a special review process. “The Belle approach seems like a reasonable one to me,” Sakura Pascarelli, a scientific director at the European XFEL, told Research Professional News.

But this trend has split the community, with critics saying they are disturbed by the move and questioning its practicality.

“If we are talking about all institutions then I do not understand why other scientists must suffer because of the guilt of the Russians,” Serhii Nazarovets, a scientometrics researcher at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University in Ukraine, told Research Professional News.

Allen Caldwell, a spokesperson for the particle physics laboratory Cern’s Awake experiment, said it was not clear whether the Belle II approach was a viable solution. “A lot of people think that this will not work in the long term because the institutions will insist that their names appear on the publications,” he said.

Submission slowdown

For Russian scientists, issues around publishing papers with colleagues overseas are a big problem. According to a European Commission study on the war’s effects on R&D, 25 per cent of Russian researchers’ publications between 2000 and 2020 were the result of international collaborations.

Controversy over co-authorship is already affecting their publications. Joachim Mnich, Cern’s director for research and computing, told Research Professional News that the submission of future papers with Russian co-authorship for publication was being studied carefully.

This process is slowing down submission, with researchers estimating that dozens of papers on Cern’s Atlas experiment have been held up.

“It’s a major issue at the moment,” according to Rustem Ospanov, a physicist at the University of Science and Technology of China who works on the Atlas experiment.

Publications are the lifeblood of research, but the war in Ukraine is changing their composition and slowing their circulation.

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