Representatives from the new Horizon Europe Office in Kyiv recently visited Brussels to discuss increasing Ukrainian participation in EU projects
Igor Taranov, head of the Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine. Photo credits: Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine
The new Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine is calling on universities and other research organisations in member states to include Ukrainians in their project proposals, and says it is ready to help by providing contacts.
“We have very good researchers in Ukraine, but we have no possibility to give them opportunities to research in Ukrainian universities,” Igor Taranov, head of the Ukraine office, told Science|Business.
More than 45% of research infrastructure in the country has been damaged or destroyed since the Russian invasion, and the situation is getting worse. Most recently, on 29 June, the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas was hit by a missile attack, just two months after it hosted a Horizon Europe information day.
Ukrainian researchers need access to European laboratories and equipment, and while looking ahead to recovery, there need to be specific support programmes to rebuild infrastructure within Ukraine, Taranov said.
After Ukraine was associated to Horizon Europe in June 2022, the Commission opened the office in Kyiv to promote EU funding opportunities, offer technical support to researchers and innovators, and strengthen networks between Ukrainian and European institutions. It also plans to engage with National Contact Points in other countries.
The office, officially launched in December 2023, has a staff of 13 and is part of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU). It is fully funded by a €1.7 million grant from the European Commission.
Since then there have been more than 80 events, including some with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT) new community hub in Kyiv. The staff continue to provide information to Ukrainian and EU researchers, despite often having to work from bomb shelters or to contend with power cuts.
Since 2021, Horizon Europe grants worth €46 million have been awarded to 165 Ukrainian companies, universities and other organisations, placing the country seventh out of 18 associated countries in terms of funding received.
Fruitful discussions
Taranov was speaking to Science|Business while visiting Brussels at the end of June with colleagues from the Horizon Europe Office and a number of Ukrainian researchers. They were hosted by Poland’s National Centre for Research and Development, which has been an active partner in building research and innovation links between Ukraine and the EU.
There have been “very fruitful discussions” with the Commission and other research organisations, on topics including the Horizon Europe partnerships, the Missions, Widening, and planning for the next framework programme, FP10, Taranov said.
He is hoping to boost Ukrainian participation in Pillar I Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and research infrastructure calls, and in the European Innovation Council start-up funding schemes. In Pillar II, he cites climate, energy, food and health as important areas for collaboration.
The Widening initiative, designed to support countries with low-performing research systems, is also seen as an important lever for Ukraine, especially the hop on facility, which allows entities from Widening countries to join ongoing projects. “It’s crucial to avoid the long process of applications, finding consortiums, but also as a way of networking, and raising awareness of our capabilities even during the war,” said Mykhailo Hrebeniuk, head of the Brussels liaison office for Ukrainian researchers.
Ukraine is closely following discussions around including dual-use research that has civil and military applications in FP10, as it sees this as an area where it could contribute. The country is also assessing the possibilities of participating in the European Defence Fund (EDF). Ukrainian entities are eligible to join EDF calls, but as a non-associated country they cannot receive EU funding and face extra security safeguards. The funding issue in particular is a major obstacle.
The NRFU has been actively pursuing joint calls funded by partners including Cambridge University and the Swiss National Science Foundation, to fill gaps in its budget. In 2022, the NRFU’s entire grant budget was redirected to defence needs, while the 2023 budget was enough to cover only 60% of selected projects.
Future recovery
Nuclear research was also on the agenda during the visit. As with Horizon Europe, Ukraine participates in the Euratom Research and Training Programme without having to contribute financially, but this is another area where infrastructure poses a major challenge.
Ukrainian researchers are currently unable to use the nuclear reactor at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, for example, due to Russian bombing, although they can apply to open access calls to use nuclear research infrastructure owned by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre.
As the country faces energy shortages and threats to the safety of its nuclear power plants, Taranov is hoping to have separate instruments or tenders within the Euratom programme to strengthen Ukraine’s energy security.
Finding alternative energy sources will be a key aspect of Ukraine’s recovery. The European Commission recently launched an industrial alliance on small modular reactors (SMRs), and Hrebeniuk says there is strong interest from Ukraine in developing SMRs. “We need to find some smaller and clever solutions for our future energy mix,” he said.
Taranov says he expects FP10 to also include special instruments for Ukrainian researchers, and he would welcome specific calls dedicated to the recovery effort, such as “new types of energy, or new types of rehabilitation for Ukrainian soldiers.”
As for rebuilding infrastructure, Hrebeniuk’s long-term hope is for a “research infrastructure coalition”, along the same lines as the coalitions launched by various NATO members to provide Ukraine with defence capabilities, such as tanks and air defence systems. He suggests that structural funds could also be diverted to build research infrastructure in western Ukraine that would be accessible to EU researchers.
Experts wanted
Another topic was how to get more Ukrainians involved as expert evaluators of Horizon proposals. “It’s a very good opportunity to work with experts from the Commission, to get new experience, skills and knowledge,” Taranov said. “Afterwards, this person can provide webinars in a mentoring programme for Ukrainian future applicants, and show them the typical mistakes to avoid when submitting a proposal.”
Ukrainian universities have an added incentive to participate in EU programmes because in 2021 new national legislation took effect which allocated additional money to universities that won international grants. The policy was reversed when the war started, but it is to be reintroduced. That has prompted many universities to contact the Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine about setting up grant support offices.
The office has funding to 2026, which means that as Horizon Europe runs until 2027 there is a question mark hanging over how it is funded in the final year of the programme. Equivalent offices in member states are usually financed by structural funds, which Ukraine as a non-EU member does not receive. “We hope to find a solution to this problem, together with the European Commission,” Taranov said.
