Science ministers of Ukraine and Germany sign agreement on scientific and technological cooperation in Kyiv

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Ukraine and Germany celebrated 30 years of scientific and technological cooperation in 2023. Now a new intergovernmental agreement on scientific and technological cooperation between Ukraine and Germany has been signed in Kyiv on 23 October 2024. Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Oksen Lisovyi and Federal Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger signed this agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of Germany on cooperation in the fields of science, technology, innovation and higher education. This was the 2nd visit of the German minister with an extended delegation since the full-scale war of russia against Ukraine.

Bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Germany will focus on:

  • exchange of experts to implement joint scientific and technology programs;
  • participation in international projects, organization of joint scientific conferences, seminars and symposia;
  • creation and joint use of structures to support innovation;
  • support for higher education programs and development of partnerships between universities in both countries.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has been supporting Ukraine with numerous programs for university cooperation, the development of research structures and bilateral projects since the beginning of the russian war of aggression in February 2022, which violates international law. Over 100 million euros have been commited by 2029, including the “BMBF-Initiative Wiederaufbau Ukraine/BMBF-Ukraine Recovery Initiative” launched this year, which alone totals 51.2 million euros. Four joint German-Ukrainian cores of excellence, each funded with up to 2,5 million euro, already contribute to strengthening of scientific potential and research cooperation between two countries. The BMBF is planning measures to help improve the framework conditions for research and innovation in Ukraine, (re)build research capacities and infrastructures and offer young scientists good prospects for remaining in and returning to Ukraine.

A new developemnt is the German-Ukrainian University Network (Deutsch-Ukrainische Hochschulnetzwerk), which will be established from July 2025 and funded with 24 million euros until 2029. It is intended to support recovery of Ukrainian higher education system and intensify cooperation between universities in both countries through e.g. digital courses, joint degree programs, etc.

The Minister was accompanied by a high-ranking science delegation. Participants included the Chairman of the Conference of Science Ministers and Minister of Finance and Science in Saarland, Jakob von Weizsäcker, the Spokesman of the Alliance of Science Organizations and President of the Max Planck Society, Professor Patrick Cramer, the President of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Professor Gerald Haug, the President of the German Rectors’ Conference, Professor Walter Rosenthal, and the Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation, Dr. Georg Schütte.

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