In October 2024, the DFG hosted a meeting at the Head Office in Bonn with a high-ranking delegation from its partner organisation NRFU, the National Research Foundation of Ukraine. Seeking to pursue institutional cooperation with Germany in greater depth, the delegation also visited the Humboldt Foundation, the DAAD, the German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat, WR), the BMBF and DLR Projektträger.

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National Research Foundation of Ukraine Delegation Visits the DFG

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Led by Executive Director Dr. Olga Polotska, a nine-member delegation from the National Research Foundation of Ukraine visited the DFG Head Office in Bonn from October 16 to 20, 2024. Receiving the delegation, DFG Secretary General Dr. Heide Ahrens emphasised the high level of commitment on both sides in developing institutional relations. The main aim of this particular visit was to share information on the working methods and procedures of the two institutions in order to substantiate plans for a joint project call. By visiting a number of other research organisations and funding institutions as well, the NRFU was able to gain wide-ranging insights into the German research landscape.

The delegation met with numerous representatives of various DFG divisions and departments during the course of the week, with discussions focusing on a range of topics relating to research administration and funding. This was important for both sides in order to be able to coordinate planned joint funding programmes. One key issue here was the difficult conditions under which the NRFU has been conducting its research funding since the beginning of the war.

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National Research Foundation of Ukraine Delegation Visits the DFG

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The Ukrainian delegation subsequently visited two other major German funding organisations – the Humboldt Foundation and the DAAD – and also the BMBF and DLR Projektträger in Bonn. A meeting was also held with the German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat, WR) in Cologne. The talks created new avenues for cooperation as well as giving rise to numerous starting points for future endeavours. The NRFU’s visit at the invitation of the DFG marked an important step in strengthening bilateral relations, and the DFG intends to follow up on the return invitation to Kyiv as soon as the situation allows.

The National Research Foundation of Ukraine was established in 2018 with the aim of boosting competitive research at the country’s universities. With an annual budget that increased rapidly up until the outbreak of war, the NRFU focuses its funding on supporting researchers in early career phases as well as enhancing mobility and links to the European Research Area. In spite of the difficult situation, it has been possible to fund numerous national and international research projects.

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The DFG has supported the NRFU in an advisory capacity ever since its inception, and the two organisations collaborate closely as partners, having signed an initial cooperation agreement on the joint funding of German-Ukrainian research projects back in 2020. Ukraine is traditionally one of the DFG’s priority funding countries in Eastern Europe, with bilateral relations demonstrating a high level of continuity. In addition to the NRFU, the DFG maintains contacts with the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) as well as the country’s leading universities.