Today, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has decided to support the establishment of the Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine on the basis of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine.

This is an important step towards signing a grant agreement between the NRFU and the European Commission and launching the Office, which should become a professional tool for deepening the integration of Ukrainian research into the European Research Area and strengthening Ukraine’s participation in the Horizon Europe Framework Program. 

We remind you that the EU will provide financial assistance (in the form of a grant) to finance the work of the Office for 36 months, which is a unique case and confirms the high confidence of the EC in the NRFU. The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced the decision to establish the Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine on the basis of the NRFU at a meeting of the College of the European Commission and the Government of Ukraine on February 2, 2023. The decision was made by the EC based on its own positive assessment of the NRFU’s work, as well as on the future plans presented by Ukraine to build the NRFU’s capacity under the Recovery Plan.

Together with the EC, the main goal of the Office’s establishment and further functioning was determined to maximize the opportunities for cooperation in research and innovation provided by Ukraine’s membership in the Horizon Europe program and specific support measures for researchers and innovators.

The main strategic objectives of the Office are to help preserve Ukraine’s research and innovation potential in extremely difficult times, to create sustainable links between the research and innovation communities of Ukraine and the EU, and to increase the level of Ukraine’s participation in theHorizon Europe program. There is also a lot of analytical, communication, advisory and operational work ahead.

We are grateful to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, in particular the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, the Scientific Committee of the National Council of Ukraine for the Development of Science and Technology, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation for understanding the importance of establishing the Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine and for their comprehensive facilitation. We are grateful to the European Commission for the decision and trust!

Obtaining this grant was a real professional challenge for the NRFU team. We see the opportunity to create the Office as an important stage in strengthening the institutional capacity of the Foundation. We believe that the work of the Office will help to broaden the opportunities for scientists from universities and research institutions of various subordination and innovators.