Last year the number of bilateral research projects including Ukrainian scientists increased after the resumption of a joint Ukrainian-Polish project, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Maksym Strikha said, commenting on the implementation of the recommendations of the independent audit by European experts of the Ukrainian research and innovation system.
“97 scientific research projects are being implemented within the framework of bilateral scientific and technical cooperation agreed in 2018 between Ukraine and 10 partner countries (Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Austria, France, Moldova, China, Belarus, Latvia, USA). The number increased by 9% compared with 2017 due to the resumption after almost a decade of joint Ukrainian-Polish projects,” said the Deputy Minister.
He also noted Ukraine’s participation in Horizon 2020, the EU’s framework program for research and innovation. In 2018 the number of projects with Ukrainian scientists that received funding under the Horizon 2020 program increased by more than a quarter while the number of projects coordinated by Ukrainian organizations almost doubled.
But no less important, according to Strikha, is the positive influence that participation in Horizon 2020 has had on the Ukrainian research landscape. The inclusion of Ukrainian representatives and experts in the Committees of the Horizon 2020 program will facilitate greater coherence of policies between Ukrainian and European research. The decision was taken by the Ukrainian Government last autumn. This will allow Ukraine to increase participation in the program and make proposals, and join the discussion and formulation of the structure of the next EU framework program on research and innovation.
“It’s important to note that this Roadmap, approved by the Ministry of Science and Education, became the first such document submitted by a country with associated status in the Horizon 2020 program. This was highly appreciated by our partners in Brussels. Today the numerous normative documents necessary for implementation of the Roadmap are being prepared. This is a process that will take more than one year given that in many spheres the key players are not only the Ministry of Education and Science, but also other ministries (Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Social Policy, etc.), and because to implement the Roadmap we have to eliminate many rudiments of the past,” said Maksym Strikha.