Building Capacity in the Ukrainian R&I Ecosystem
Building Capacity in the Ukrainian R&I Ecosystem
NRFU–Science Europe Webinar Series
Since the outbreak of war in February 2022, Science Europe and its members have taken actions to support the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU) and the Ukrainian research ecosystem. As part of these efforts, NRFU and Science Europe are organising a series of three online workshops between September 2025 and February 2026 to tackle core topics that are priority areas for the Ukrainian research ecosystem.
About the Webinars
In 2025, Science Europe and the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NFRU) started to organise a series of joint webinars dedicated to relevant issues for supporting the scientific community and research ecosystem of Ukraine, as well as strengthening the capacity for managing scientific projects in the context of post-war recovery. This initiative aims to increase opportunities for Ukrainian researchers in the international scientific arena and facilitate the exchange of experiences with European colleagues.
Following the success of the first series of webinars, the initiative is continued in 2026 with three more webinars taking place between June and November.
The online workshops address priority areas identified by the National Research Foundation of Ukraine:
- Ensuring a good balance between bottom-up calls, mainly for basic research projects, and top-down calls for applied research projects.
- Developing and implementing effective monitoring tools within the project life-cycle and beyond with an emphasis on the (potential) impact of the project.
- Practices and policies that integrate Open Science principles into both evaluation procedures and project implementation.
- Transforming research assessment systems: criteria, quality, and societal impact
- Financial management of research projects: from grant application to successful implementation
- Risk management in research funding: approaches, tools, and international practices
All webinars are scheduled to take place from 10.00–11.30 CET (11.00–12.30 EET). The language of the workshops is English, with simultaneous translation into Ukrainian provided for participants.
Webinar Schedule
- 2026
- 27 NovemberRisk management in research funding: approaches, tools, and international practices
- 25 SeptemberFinancial Management of research projects: from grant application to successful implementation
- 26 JuneTransforming research assessment systems: criteria, quality, and societal impact
- 20 FebruaryOpen Science policies and practices of research funding organisations
- 2025
- 25 NovemberDeveloping and implementing monitoring tools for R&D projects
- 19 SeptemberBalancing bottom-up and top-down research funding
Webinar 5: Financial management of research projects: from grant application to successful implementation
The fifth webinar took place on 25 September 2026. It explored relevant aspects of financial grant management at the pre-award and project implementation stages of research projects. In this context, it looked at budgetary and cost planning, grant management, and reporting.
This webinar aimed to raise awareness of the latest trends in financial management and facilitate new opportunities for Ukrainian researchers in the international scientific arena.
The panel discussion tackled best practices, state-of-the-art systems and rules set by research funding and research performing organisations that are pertinent for researchers seeking to develop and implement research projects. It also addressed how research institutions can improve their financial reporting and monitoring systems or support their researchers in the financial management of their projects.
Panellists at the webinar:
- Aleksandra Butowt, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation Unit, European Commission
- Gloria Gonzalez, Research Manager, Madrid Institute of Materials Science (ICMM-CSIC)
- Katriin Pirk, Research Funding Officer, Estonian Research Council (ETAG)
Moderator:
- Hans Willems, Secretary General, Research Foundation Flanders (FWO)
Webinar 4: Transforming research assessment systems: criteria, quality, and societal impact
The fourth webinar took place on 26 June 2026. It explored how the reforms and innovations to research assessment that are being developed and implemented can improve research quality and push research ecosystems and cultures away from metric-dominated assessment approaches. It touched on national and international initiatives that seek to promote research excellence and how to articulate emerging needs to consider the societal impact of science.
Welcome address:
- Andrii Kuznetsov, First Deputy Executive Director for Grant Support of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU)
Speakers at the webinar:
- Lisbet Crone, Special Advisor at the Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF)
- Josefin Thoresson, Senior Research Officer at the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (FORMAS)
- Laurence El Khouri, Deputy Head of the Open Research Data Department at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
- Matthias Kiesselbach, Director at the German Research Foundation (DFG)
- James Morris, Senior Policy Officer, Science Europe
Moderators:
- Oleksandra Kyselova, Head of the Legal and Regulatory Affairs Department of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU)
- Lidia Borrell-Damián, Secretary General, Science Europe
The panel discussion tackled several national and international initiatives to foster the reform of research assessment. These range from specific efforts of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment to improve practices in the assessment of research proposals and the design and implementation of national-level assessment structures to the evaluation of the societal and environmental impact of scientific projects.
Guiding questions
- How can RFOs and RPOs move from principles to practice in research assessment reform?
- How can research quality, excellence, and societal impact be balanced in research assessment?
- How can international initiatives better support research assessment reform across diverse research systems?
Webinar 3: Open Science policies and practices of research funding organisations
The webinar took place on 20 February 2026. It explored how Open Science principles are integrated into the policies and practices of research funding organisations, with a focus on their role in evaluation procedures and project implementation.
Speakers/moderators at the webinar:
- Lidia Borrell-Damián, Secretary General, Science Europe
- Olga Polotska, Executive Director of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU)
- Zoé Ancion, Head of the Open Science Unit, French National Research Agency (ANR)
- Stefano Bianco, Senior Researcher, National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN)
- 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)
Webinar 2: Developing and implementing monitoring tools for R&D projects
The webinar took place on 25 November 2025. It explored the design and implementation of effective monitoring tools for R&D projects, a critical component for ensuring transparency, accountability, and impact in research funding.
Speakers/moderators at the webinar:
- Lidia Borrell-Damián, Secretary General, Science Europe
- Olga Polotska, Executive Director of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU)
- Helena Burg, Head of International Relations, Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR)
- Hansfrieder Vogel, International Relations, Fellowships & Awards, Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW)
- Alice Vajda, Scientific Programme Manager, Research Ireland (RI)
- Falk Reckling, Head of Department, and Martina Kunzmann, Analysis Administrator, Department Strategy – Policy, Evaluation, Analysis, Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
- Estefanía Freitas Alves, Deputy Head of the Scientific-Technical Thematic Programs Subdivision, Spanish State Research Agency (AEI)
- Roberto Tenchini, Former President of the CSN1, INFN National Committee 1, National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN)
Webinar 1: Balancing bottom-up and top-down research funding
The first webinar of the series took place on 19 September 2025. It dealt with ensuring a good balance between bottom-up calls, mainly for fundamental research projects, and top-down calls for applied research projects.
Speakers at the webinar:
- Lidia Borrell-Damián, Secretary General, Science Europe
- Olga Polotska, Executive Director of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU)
- Laure Ognois, Head of International Affairs, Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
- Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, Head of UNESCO Antenna in Ukraine
- Anu Noorma, Director General, Estonian Research Council (ETAG), Governing Board Member of Science Europe
- Anna di Ciaccio, Director of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Governing Board Member of Science Europe
- Marika Edoff, Secretary General for Engineering Sciences, former Member of the Board, Swedish Research Council (VR)
- Nicoleta Dumitrache, Head of Department, Financing development and innovation projects, Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI)
