On 20 February 2026, the National Research Foundation of Ukraine and the Science Europe association held the third webinar in the series “Building Capacity in the Ukrainian Research and Innovation Ecosystem.”

The webinar focused on how Open Science principles are integrated into the policies and practices of research funding organisations, with a particular emphasis on their role in evaluation procedures and project implementation.

In the context of Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its research and innovation system and align it with European standards, Open Science was identified as a key driver of transparency, accessibility, and research quality.

The webinar brought together experts from leading European organisations, including national research funding agencies and the European Commission, to exchange institutional experience and practical approaches to implementing Open Science. Participants discussed how Open Science is integrated into grant evaluation processes, data sharing requirements, FAIR data principles, and monitoring systems, as well as how research assessment reform is reshaping incentives beyond traditional metrics.

The key findings and recommendations of the webinar are summarised in the Webinar Report.

The Report on the results of the third in the Series of Science Europe–NRFU Webinars: “Open Science policies and practices of research funding organisations” (pdf) 20 February 2026

Experts from a wide range of European organisations participated in the event, making it possible to identify practical solutions for promoting open, transparent, and sustainable research practices in Ukraine and beyond:

• Stefano Bianco, Senior Researcher, National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN)
• Martine Garnier-Rizet, Director of Digital Strategy and Data, French National Research Agency (ANR)
• Matthias Kiesselbach, Programme Director, German Research Foundation (DFG)
• Aneta Pazik-Aybar, Head of Open Science Team, National Science Centre (NCN)
• Victoria Tsoukala, Policy Officer for Open Science, European Commission (EC)

The full webinar recording is available on the official NRFU YouTube channel:

• In English:

• In Ukrainian (simultaneous interpretation):

Stay updated on possible future joint webinars via the official channels of Science Europe and the NRFU.