PRESS RELEASE
On 22 and 23 July 2026, 22 Ukrainian experts of the national research community and members of the Ukrainian diaspora, came together at the SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre in Kraków, Poland, for the Strategic Foresight Workshop: The Future of the R&I System in Ukraine beyond 2035+. The workshop was organised by DLR-PT within the framework of the EU-funded Horizon Europe LUKE project and focused on developing potential priority topics for a strategic outlook on Ukraine’s research and innovation (R&I) system.
Inside the Strategic Foresight Workshop: From Preparation to Participation
More than 90 Ukrainian R&I experts applied to take part in the workshop. The workshop was preceded by a preparatory online webinar on 14 July 2026 for all applicants. Through expert presentations and interactive exercises, participants familiarised themselves with the strategic foresight approach and practised horizon scanning. Over the course of the two-day workshop, participants worked collaboratively to explore possible scenarios for Ukraine’s research and innovation (R&I) system beyond 2035, applying strategic foresight methods to develop a shared vision for its future.
During the first day of the workshop, participants examined the long-term forces shaping Ukraine’s R&I system. Working in mixed groups, they identified and discussed key social, technological, economic, environmental, political, and values-based (STEEPV) trends, assessed their potential implications using the Futures Wheel methodology, and reflected on the opportunities and challenges these trends may create for the futures of Ukraine’s R&I system.
On the second day, participants shifted their focus from analysis to strategy. Using the Three Horizons framework, they explored pathways from the current state of Ukraine’s R&I system towards a shared vision for 2035 and beyond. Working in thematic groups, they developed draft strategic recommendations, outlining priority objectives, implementation pathways, key milestones, and the stakeholders needed to drive future reforms.
The workshop concluded with a joint presentation of the groups’ recommendations and a discussion of the next steps towards a strategic document on Ukraine’s future R&I ecosystem.
Priorities for the Futures of Ukrainian Research & Innovation
The workshop resulted in four interconnected strategic priority areas that are expected to shape the development of Ukraine’s R&I system:
- Talent, workforce development and continuity of knowledge
- Artificial intelligence (AI) and the changing nature of research
- International standing and governance of Ukrainian research
- Research funding, infrastructure and the innovation economy
Across all four areas, participants identified the retention and development of research talent as one of the most pressing challenges. Brain drain was recognised as a cross-cutting issue affecting research capacity, knowledge transfer, education, innovation, and long-term competitiveness. Participants also highlighted the importance of aligning Ukraine’s integration into the European Research Area with the development of strong national research institutions, effective governance mechanisms and sustainable funding structures.
The workshop highlighted the value of strategic foresight in helping stakeholders look beyond immediate recovery needs and develop a shared vision for Ukraine’s R&I system by 2035. Participants discussed long-term ambitions, including the development of internationally recognised research infrastructures in Ukraine and greater use of science diplomacy, namely strengthening the role of science attachés at Ukrainian embassies in supporting international research cooperation.
Simon Winter, DLR Projektträger, highlighted the importance of acting now, noting: “The reconstruction of Ukraine’s research system will not be decided only after the war, but by the choices being made now.”
Strengthening Ukraine’s Research and Innovation Ecosystem
The Strategic Foresight Workshop forms part of the broader activities of the LUKE Knowledge Hub, which supports Ukrainian stakeholders in strengthening capacities in strategic foresight, research management, science diplomacy, and science-business cooperation. Through collaborative learning and long-term strategic planning, the initiative contributes to building a resilient, future-oriented research and innovation system and supports Ukraine’s closer integration into the European Research Area.
Reflecting on the broader mission of the LUKE Knowledge Hub, Henriette Kirch, Co-Project Lead of the LUKE Knowledge Hub, emphasised: “LUKE brings Ukrainian and European research stakeholders together to jointly lay the foundations for a future-oriented research and innovation system.”
The outcomes of the workshop will serve as an important contribution to the further development of Ukraine’s future R&I ecosystem and will help sustain dialogue among Ukrainian and European stakeholders on the country’s long-term research and innovation priorities.
Workshop Materials
The presentations from the Strategic Foresight Workshop on the Futures of Ukraine’s Research and Innovation System Beyond 2035+ are available in the Foresight subsection of the LUKE Knowledge Hub section: Foresight – Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
