On 8-9th November, the First Ukrainian Science Diaspora Forum took place in Frankfurt as part of the conference ‘Rebuilding Ukraine: Ukrainian Science in War and Postwar time’. It was hosted by renew Europe, Chamber of Commerce in Frankfurt/Main, Ukrainian Coordination Center e.V., German-Ukrainian Association for Economics and Science with the support of the Ukrainian Science Diaspora.
The meeting enabled the participating scholars, entrepreneurs, politicians, diplomats to exchange extensively and elaborate a strategic advice for recovery of the Ukrainian science. The prospects of Ukraine’s rebuild through investments were also addressed. It facilitated aligning of the vision of Ukrainian scientists working in the EU due to the continued war, members of the EU scientific community and representatives of the EU business sector. Both the Map of the investment needs of Ukraine, as well as the Ukrainian science needs were outlined.
The Diasporas Ukrainian organisations throughout Europe and beyond presented themselves. The German-Ukrainian Academic Society was represented by Dr. Iuliia Shkrabaliuk, research fellow at the University of Mannheim. She shared the insights into history of the association, its development and expansion with the war outbreak. Cohesion of work, intensified exchange and drawing policy advice are among the priorities of collaborations of scientific diaspora in Europe, keen on contributing to sustaining and the empowerment of the Ukrainian science amidst war.
Amongst others, the following honorary guests held the floor:
- Nicola Beer, MdEP, Vice-president of the European Parliament,
- Melanie Nolte, Vice President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Frankfurt/Main,
- Eva Miriam Fuchs, Vice President and Senior Policy Advisor at KfW,
- Christoph Beeck, Member of the Management Board of Procredit Bank AG in Germany,
- Christian Dölle, CEO/ Geschäftsführer der WEISS-Gruppe,
- Anna Derevyanko, Executive Director, European Business Association, representatives of the Directorate of Science and Innovation and the Young Scientists Council of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
Organisers are grateful in particular to Viktoriia von Rosen, PhD, CEO of the Ukrainian Coordination Center, and Prof. Dr. Olena Kovalchuk, Head of Ukrainian Science Diaspora in France.
We are looking forward to the Second Ukrainian Science Diaspora Forum!