Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, dear members of the German Ukrainian Academic Society, dear colleagues and friends,
Another year is approaching its end, with the next one concluding the first quarter of the tumultuous 21st century. Never in the last 80 years has the democratic world been as fragile and helpless as it is now. Conscious of the modern history of Ukraine, one cannot but notice striking resemblances in what is currently happening in Sakartvelo to the 2013-14 Ukraine’s Euromaidan and the US’ transition of power – to that of Ukraine’s 2009. If we do learn anything from history, it is imperative to act now and by supporting Ukraine’s fight for its very existence, ensure that the rule of law prevails, the war criminals are punished and might does not equal right.
In these turbulent times, our society and its members are continuing to expand scientific cooperation with Ukraine. We are proud to look back at our year’s activities highlighted in our annual report and the quarterly Newsletter, the projects we supported, the written and spoken contributions made by our members, and this year’s Days of Ukraine in Saarland. It is very encouraging that our Society’s goals have also been advanced thanks to the unwavering support of the BMBF and the Alliance of German Science Organizations (Allianz der Wissenschaftsorganisationen), placing the topic of science cooperation and science-driven economy on the agenda of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 in Berlin. The same efforts continue now for the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025. This year, the Alliance of Science Organizations has developed the Ukraine Action Plan, stressing the commitment of Germany to supporting Ukrainian science and detailing the Alliance’s engagement in strengthening and rebuilding the science and higher education landscape in Ukraine. In addition to the active support of Ukrainian scientists in Germany, many members of the Alliance (e.g. DFG, DAAD, Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung), as well as BMBF, have or had this year open funding calls for scientific collaboration with Ukraine and/or aimed at supporting researchers from Ukraine who had to flee the country. We are extremely grateful to the European Commission for opening the Horizon Europe office in Ukraine and for providing additional 10 million Euro for supporting Ukrainian scientists via MSCA4Ukraine; to DAAD for launching the German-Ukrainian University Network, to Volkswagen Foundation for funding the (virtual) Ukraine Institute for Advanced Study and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities for initiating and supporting the Young Network TransEurope, a scientific network of outstanding young academics with a strong focus on Ukraine. We warmly welcome the establishment of a bilateral Czech-Ukrainian scientific society in Czechia, Ukrainian science diaspora networks in Austria and other countries as well as a new voice in support of Ukraine in Germany, The German-Ukrainian Society – For our and your freedom e.V. (Deutsch-Ukrainische Gesellschaft – Für unsere und eure Freiheit e.V), co-founded by the keynote speaker of this year’s DUAG annual meeting Dr. Franziska Davies.
At the end of this fateful and turbulent year, I want to cordially thank you, our members, for your engagement and for all the energy you put into your daily work to advance the goals of our society. Thank you for the initiation and participation in all big and small collaboration projects, for your time, for sharing your knowledge and expertise, for your donations, and for all your efforts aiming at strengthening the scientific ties with Ukraine. Together we advance science for the better future of the world, make contributions of Ukrainian scientists more visible and the Ukrainian voice head.
Слава Україні!
Festive image: courtesy of Dr. Anna Grebinyk, DUAG treasurer