How to keep science going amidst conflict? In our world where research progresses so quickly, for Ukrainian scientists, keeping on working is a matter of survival.

A journalist of the International Science Council contacted Roman Yavetskyi, Head of the Department of Crystalline Materials of Complex Compounds at the SSI Institute for Single Crystals of the NASU. Under Roman’s leadership, the researchers from the institute are implementing the project ‘Novel and traditional IR-transparent ceramics of complex architecture for extreme operating conditions’ with the grant support from the NRFU.

The team are among the about 80% of Ukrainian scientists who are still in the country, pushing ahead with their work despite the constant threat of violence, ruined infrastructure and lost funding.

“The work of scientists like Yavetskiy’s team and others across the country is vital for Ukraine’s future,” says Olga Polotska, Executive Director of the NRFU. “If there is no inflow of young people in research, or if there is a break in research and communication, that would be an existential threat to Ukraine.”

Read more about how Ukraine is preparing for post-war recovery by strengthening the resilience of science here: International Science Council.