A White Paper has been prepared by participants of the inaugural Forum of the Ukrainian Research Diaspora, held in Kyiv on October 20-22, 2018.

The three-day Forum "Advancing Science Through International Cooperation" was organized to mark the 100th anniversary of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and brought together more than 160 researchers and representatives of the government and private sector from all over Ukraine and abroad (Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK and the USA).

The program included thematic scientific sessions, panels and round-table discussions to address important aspects of science and higher education reform undertaken in Ukraine.

The Forum offered an excellent platform to present and discuss research results, in particular those carried out by collaborative teams of Ukrainian and international scientists. It also allowed the participants to address the most urgent issues pertaining to the current state of Ukrainian science. The Forum’s participants adopted a Resolution (English / Ukrainian).

The White Paper (English / Ukrainian), prepared by an initiative group of diaspora researchers, summarizes key points brought up in various discussions in preparation and during the Forum, as well as in the follow-up feedback provided by numerous participants. Its authors are strongly committed to both galvanizing the required changes and contributing their hands-on knowledge and profound experience, gained at leading research organizations in different countries to the benefit of Ukraine.

The document is structured along the topics discussed at the round-table/panel discussions held at the Forum, with a particular focus on:

I. Converting "brain drain" into "brain gain"
II. Creation of expert commissions to support science reform in Ukraine