To mark the World Science Day for Peace and Development a poster session was opened in Brussels – the capital of the European Union – highlighting the success stories of Ukrainian researchers who were successful in the calls of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU) and EU-funded programmes.
Hosted at the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission (DG RTD), the exhibition offers a unique and unprecedented opportunity to present Ukraine and its research achievements at the very heart of the European Union.
Ukrainian Science: Strength in Times of Challenge
In wartime, science continues to work for the country’s security, recovery, and future. Research results help protect people, preserve and restore critical infrastructure, find alternative energy solutions, strengthen defence capabilities, and develop new materials for medicine and industry.
These essential research activities are implemented by Ukrainian researchers with the support of the NRFU – an institution operating in line with European standards of competitiveness, transparency, and integrity.
At the Brussels exhibition, European colleagues will learn about the possibility of transporting hydrogen through Ukraine’s gas pipelines (PI: Olha Zvirko, Karpenko Physico-Mechanical Institute, NAS of Ukraine); possible scenarios of radioactive contamination in the event of an accident at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, currently occupied by russian forces (PI: Volodymyr Maderych, Institute of Mathematical Machines and Systems Problems, NAS of Ukraine); flood risks in the event of a damage of the Kyiv HPP dam and recommended response actions (PI: Roman Bezhenar, Institute of Mathematical Machines and Systems Problems, NAS of Ukraine); a methodology for assessing agricultural land damaged by russian shelling – crucial for food security (PI: Natalia Kussul, Space Research Institute of NAS of Ukraine and the State Space Agency of Ukraine), among others.
EU Support Matters
The exhibition also features projects implemented by Ukrainian researchers with funding from the Horizon Europe programme. One of them is PIECES project which aims to create evidence-based practices for the prevention of cancer that can be adapted to regional characteristics.
A growing number of Ukrainian researchers and innovators are now succeeding in Horizon Europe calls. The Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine – operating on the basis of the NRFU and fully funded by the European Commission – helps applicants prepare strong applications. The establishment of the Office has become an important message of solidarity with the Ukrainian research community.
Hosting the poster session at the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) of the European Commission is a gesture of trust and recognition of Ukraine’s research potential. For Ukrainian science, this visibility at EU level opens new opportunities for international partnerships, joint research, and scientific dialogue.
The exhibition was officially opened by Mykhailo Hrebeniuk, Office manager of the project “GUARD – Global Promotion of UA R&D: Head of the Liaison Office in Brussels for UA R&D Community”, and Mina Stareva, Deputy Head of the International Cooperation Unit (Europe and the Americas), DG RTD.
Displayed in the central area of DG RTD, the posters are seen daily by European Commission leadership, staff, and visitors. They spark interest in Ukrainian research projects and provide new insights into Ukraine’s involvement in European programmes. This, in turn, becomes an incentive for discussions about future cooperation with Ukrainian research teams.
This exhibition is both recognition of the contribution that Ukrainian researchers make to addressing global challenges, and a step toward new grants, partnerships, joint research initiatives, and deeper integration into the European Research Area.
The NRFU and the Ukrainian research community are sincerely grateful to the European Commission for its support, trust, and creating this unique opportunity for Ukraine.
We hope this poster session will be the first step in promoting Ukrainian science internationally. Together with our partners in Brussels, we will continue sharing the story of Ukraine’s scientific and research potential, as well as the work of the NRFU and the Horizon Europe Office in supporting and strengthening it.
