The NGO “Women’s Professional League” (UNP WG4) has launched the initiative “Involving Ukrainian scientists in the European Research Area through advocacy for EU membership” within the framework of the project “Support to the Activities of the Ukrainian National Platform of the EaP CSF in 2025-2026” implemented by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting with the financial support of the European Union.
Title of the initiative: Involving Ukrainian scientists in the European Research Area through advocacy for EU membership
Organization: NGO “Women’s Professional League” (UNP WG4)
Objective. The goal of the “ERA Advocacy” Initiative is to conduct an expert analysis of policies and conceptual documents in the field of science and research in Ukraine, as well as to engage in advocacy within the framework of the negotiations on Chapter 25 (“Science and Research”) of Ukraine’s EU accession process, with a focus on integrating Ukrainian scientists into the European Research Area.
The focus is on:
- international scientific cooperation;
- scientific mobility;
- academic freedom;
- Ukrainian researchers’ access to EU programs;
- equal opportunities for participation in European research;
- challenges and prospects for integrating Ukrainian science into the ERA.
As part of the initiative, an expert survey was conducted, and analytical materials and advocacy recommendations were prepared.
In the negotiation framework for Ukraine’s EU accession, science and research constitute a distinct negotiating chapter (Chapter 25: Science and Research) within Cluster 3, “Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth.” This cluster is linked to innovation and human capital and ensures the long-term competitiveness of an EU member state, thereby officially recognizing this subject matter as part of the strategic core of the negotiations. Science and research represent a key area of Ukraine’s European integration—one where actual integration takes place even prior to full EU membership—and it is expected that the country will also make progress in advancing the EU’s scientific and research objectives. Civil society and its experts should advocate for creating conditions—both domestically and internationally—that enable scientists to integrate into European networks while remaining within the Ukrainian context, and that enhance the transparency of the negotiation process.
Olena Lazorenko, Women’s Professional League” (UNP WG4):
At the same time, it should be noted that, in terms of subject matter, Chapter 25 covers the following areas: the European Research Area (ERA); EU framework programmes; the EUROATOM research and training programme; partnerships and initiatives under Articles 185 and 187; research infrastructures and e-infrastructures; open science policy; and innovation policy. This initiative will focus exclusively on analyzing specific aspects of integration into the European Research Area (ERA), with an emphasis on social sciences and humanities (without excluding other scientific fields). Within the framework of the ERA, we plan to examine issues related to the development of international scientific cooperation, researcher mobility, and academic freedom, as well as questions regarding Ukrainian researchers’ participation in EU framework programmes and the assurance of equal access to opportunities in the fields of research and science.
As part of the “ERA Advocacy” initiative, an expert survey was conducted regarding the challenges, opportunities, and prospects for integrating Ukrainian researchers and scientists into the European Research Area. We invite scholars, researchers, and experts—both from Ukraine and the scientific diaspora—who are willing to contribute their time and expertise pro bono and are interested in fostering the European future of Ukrainian science, to collaborate with us.
Follow the initiative news https://www.facebook.com/LPWUA
This initiative is implemented within the project “Supporting the Activities of the Ukrainian National Platform of the EaP CSF in 2025–2026,” carried out by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting with financial support from the European Union. The content of the research is the sole responsibility of NGO “Women’s Professional League” and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting.
