How to help Ukrainian scientists: research was conducted in Finland
The Young Academy Finland has identified key ways of helping Ukrainian researchers in Ukraine and abroad. The report was published in March on the website of the Academy.
Following the full-scale invasion of russia into Ukraine in February 2022, the international community, including Finland, expressed solidarity in supporting Ukrainian researchers and the academic community, providing additional assistance and help. As the Russia-Ukraine war goes on and has been in its full-scale stage for over a year, it became apparent that further assessment of the actual needs of Ukrainian researchers is necessary to address them efficiently. At the end of 2022, Young Academy Finland took up identifying the current situation and needs of Ukrainian researchers residing in Finland or staying in Ukraine (but still in need of additional support to continue their work) and to look into how to keep Ukrainian science afloat during these turbulent and challenging times.
The "Assistance for Ukrainian researchers: needs, mechanisms, recommendations" report has now been released in English and Ukrainian. It covers both needs of Ukrainian researchers staying in Ukraine and those who arrived in Finland and how they changed over the past year.
The findings are based on conversations with the Ukrainian academic community and Finnish supporting institutions representatives, open data, and previously conducted surveys.
Among the most important findings is that Ukrainian researchers staying in Ukraine need immediate assistance and hope for the future. As most (around 88%) of Ukrainian researchers either remain or return to Ukraine, a considerable amount of help should address their needs (such as financial needs, support of energy independence, etc.). At the same time, institutional cooperation is vital for developing science in Ukraine as it may ensure the sustainability of all the support provided to Ukrainian researchers now and will make the results of this support more long-lasting and mutually beneficial. Such cooperation would also minimize the problem of 'brain drain' in Ukraine, a significant concern within the academic community.
You can read more here.
