On February 14, 2020, at the premises of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, located at 16, Taras Shevchenko Boulevard, Kyiv, a regular meeting of the Science Council of the National research foundation of Ukraine (hereinafter – the Foundation) was held.

This event was attended by 27 members of the Science Council and representatives of the Directorate of the Foundation.

The participants of the meeting figured out the questions about current activity of the Foundation, defining the conditions of the fist forthcoming Foundation competition, approving numbers of normative documents defining the procedure of preparing and holding the competition including the procedure for formation, membership and competence of Competition Commission, forms and criteria for evaluation and examination of research and development projects. Also agenda included issues related to amendment of the existing structure of the Directorate of the Foundation and preparation for the announcement of the Foundation’s first competition. During the meeting the Supervisory`s Council proposals about the Strategy of the Foundation for the period 2020-2023 were discussed as well as the Code of compliance with science and ethics principles and conflict of interest prevention during the procedure for consideration and examination of research and development projects submitted to the Foundation for participation in competitive selection (hereinafter – the Code of Ethics).

Based on the Science Council work, the following initiatives were taken:

• a decision to start a preparation for the first competition of the Foundation;
• the Procedure for consideration and examination of research and development projects submitted to the Foundation for participation in competitive selection was approved;
• the Model Regulations on the Foundation Competition Commission was approved (Annex №1 to the Procedure for consideration and examination of research and development projects submitted to the Foundation for participation in competitive selection)
• the Criteria for evaluation of projects submitted to the Foundation was approved (Annex №2 to the Procedure for consideration and examination of research and development projects submitted to the Foundation for participation in competitive selection).
• the Supervisory`s Council proposals on the Strategy of the Foundation for the period 2020-2023 and the Code of Ethics were considered and partly accepted;
• the amendment of the Directorate of the Foundation structure was approved.

The Science Council also supported the proposal to send the draft resolution of the Government of Ukraine to amend the Procedure of formation and use funds of the the Foundation. The draft government decision was made because of the need to create financial preconditions for attracting leading scientists as experts and members of the Competition Commission for scientific and technical expertise and competitive project selection.

At the next meeting of the Science Council in March, 2020, time and conditions of the first competition of the Foundation will be determined.