International science ambassadors will officially appear in Ukraine to promote domestic research
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine adopted a decision to establish the Institute of International Scientific Ambassadors. They will be leading scientists from foreign research institutions and universities who will officially represent the interests of Ukrainian science on the world stage.
The main goal of the initiative is to establish stable international contacts, find partners for joint research, and actively involve domestic specialists in global programs and projects.
A separate area of activity of the ambassadors will concern information policy. In particular, they should contribute to the formation of an objective idea of the potential of Ukrainian researchers and counteract manipulative narratives that Russia spreads to discredit Ukraine in academic circles. This will allow domestic higher education institutions to become more visible in the international space and strengthen trust from foreign colleagues.
“The ambassador’s activities are aimed at ensuring that Ukrainian higher education institutions and scientific institutions are more visible, cooperate more actively with foreign colleagues, and participate in global scientific initiatives,” the Ministry explained.
The relevant department emphasizes that due to the full-scale war, thousands of talented Ukrainian specialists ended up abroad, forming a powerful scientific diaspora. The new program should ensure systematic interaction with each such scientist, demonstrating that the state recognizes their expertise and needs their knowledge for the future recovery of the country.
“This step should contribute to the formation of a sustainable international presence of Ukrainian researchers, increasing their competitiveness and strengthening trust in Ukrainian science,” the Ministry of Education and Science emphasized.
In addition to engaging the diaspora, the ambassadors will work to increase the rating of Ukrainian scientific institutions in global scientific initiatives. This decision is part of a broader strategy to modernize the education sector. In particular, the parliament recently supported a bill on the introduction of postdoctoral studies, which should become an important stage in the development of an academic career in Ukraine according to the European model.
The Ministry of Education and Science is convinced that the systematic development of ties with the international community will allow Ukrainian scientists to remain competitive despite the challenges of wartime. The introduction of the ambassador institute will become the foundation for Ukraine’s long-term presence in the world’s leading scientific centers.
