U.S. NAS Launches New Fund to Build Long-Term Ukrainian Science and Innovation Enterprise

WASHINGTON - The U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has established a new Science and Innovation Fund for Ukraine - which aims to cultivate a robust Ukrainian science and technology enterprise capable of rebuilding Ukraine and fueling its long-term economic prosperity and national security. In addition, the fund will provide near-term relief to individual Ukrainian scientists working both inside and outside of the country.

NAS President Marcia McNutt will announce the fund today at an event at Ukraine House in Washington, D.C., which is being attended by dignitaries including Ukraine's prime minister, Denys Shmyhal; Oksana Markarova, ambassador of Ukraine to the United States; and Penny Pritzker, the U.S. State Department's special representative for Ukraine's economic recovery.

Ukraine's government has identified infrastructure and transportation, energy, agriculture, artificial intelligence and data science, and natural resources and earth sciences as top priorities for economic recovery - all of which will require significant scientific discovery, talent, and training. The new fund will support activities that:

• Create a pipeline of Ukrainian talent across priority areas
• Ensure that Ukrainian science and technology play a significant role in rebuilding efforts
• Position Ukraine's research and technology system as an engine for economic growth and societal impact
• Strongly link Ukraine's science and technology community to the international research enterprise

"Since the early days of the war, our Academy has been quick to mobilize international and philanthropic support for Ukrainian science and scientists because we recognize how essential science and innovation will be to Ukraine's future," said McNutt. "With this new fund, we can help ensure that Ukrainian science and technology will provide a foundation for Ukraine's growth and development for decades to come."

"We are grateful to U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the international science community for its unwavering support of Ukrainian researchers, and we look forward to working together to ensure Ukrainian science reaches its full potential," Markarova said.

"The United States continues to support Ukraine's economic resilience and is pleased to be working with the U.S. National Academy of Sciences as it creates this new multimillion dollar joint Science and Innovation Fund for Ukraine to commercialize cutting-edge research in the service of Ukraine's economic development," noted Pritzker.

"This new fund will support Ukrainians as they build an innovation economy for the 21st century - one supported by a vibrant science, technology, and research ecosystem where innovation flourishes and great minds are cultivated," added Jose W. Fernandez, the U.S. State Department's undersecretary for economic growth, energy, and the environment.

The fund is launching with approximately $8 million of support from the Simons Foundation and commitments from the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation and other U.S. philanthropic organizations, with the goal of raising at least $15 million to secure the fund's first three years of operation.

"When I visited Lviv to help lead a data science institute, I witnessed firsthand the creativity and perseverance of Ukrainian researchers," said NAS member David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation and Simons Foundation International. "We are pleased and excited to partner with the NAS on this fund. I hope others will join this effort as we pave the way for a strong Ukraine in the years ahead."

From the beginning of the war in Ukraine, NAS and its international partners have supported Ukrainian science and researchers through activities such as long-term grant programs, a summer institute on data science for researchers in Ukraine, and expert guidance on capacity building for Ukrainian science, technology, and innovation.

The new fund will build upon these efforts to support projects that include:

• Workshops to bring together Ukrainian and global science leaders to address critical recovery issues
• Bilateral and multilateral initiatives to advance the practice of science policy
• Institutes for early-career Ukrainian researchers on priority science and technology areas
• Fellowships to support early- and mid-career scientific exchanges
• Training opportunities for commercializing research
• Support for travel and logistics for Ukrainian researchers to participate in these initiatives

The fund will be managed by a secretariat housed within the NAS, which will appoint an external oversight board of international experts in science, science policy, and innovation to identify priorities and offer guidance on integrating the work of the fund into Ukraine's rebuilding efforts.

For more information on the Science and Innovation Fund for Ukraine, visit the fund's website.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit institution that was established under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It recognizes achievement in science by election to membership, and - with the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine - provides science, engineering, and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations.

Contact:

Molly Galvin
Director, Executive Communications
Office of News and Public Information
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
202-334-2138; [email protected]

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