A new project “Linking Ukraine to the European Research Area – Joint Funding and Capacity Building Platform for Enhanced Research and Innovation Cooperation” (LUKE) aims at establishing a multilateral funding and capacity building platform focusing on Ukraine.
- Duration: 2025-2028
- Total funding: € 1 999 870,00
LUKE is an initiative of several EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe. Its key objectives are to implement a joint call and fund transnational research and innovation (R&I) projects with Ukrainian participation as well as to enhance Ukraine’s R&I capacities. A modern, efficient, and transparent science and innovation system is crucial for Ukraine’s post-war recovery and economic prosperity. Sharing best practices, pooling resources, and transferring knowledge can significantly contribute to unlocking Ukraine’s scientific potential, improving the framework conditions for research and innovation, and integrating the country more closely into the European Research Area (ERA).
The project consortium includes nine organisations, amongst them the German Aerospace Center (DLR) as coordinator, and the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU, including the Horizon Office in Ukraine and the Science Council). Altogether 19 organisations from 13 countries have already confirmed their willingness to participate as funders within the network: Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Switzerland and Ukraine, as well as the EU accession candidates Georgia, Republic of Moldova, and Türkiye. Additional funding agencies have expressed interest in joining and may be included in the group of funding parties once the joint call has been finalized.