Ukraine within Eureka’s innovation landscape

Amid a devastating war and its rippling consequences, Ukraine’s involvement in the Eureka network reflects the country’s hunger to deepen its ties to the wider innovation economy and develop technologies at home that can benefit citizens during the post-war recovery period.

Being part of Eureka’s network boosts Ukraine’s integration into the European research and innovation ecosystem whilst also fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange. Stronger research and development capacity and higher visibility for Ukraine as an innovation hub are also promising results of this partnership.

Eureka is a powerful additional resource for the internationalisation of Ukraine’s research and innovation system. It helps our scientists and businesses bring research results to market, strengthen global partnerships and contribute to Europe’s collective resilience.

Grygorii Mozolevych – Director General of the Directorate of Science Development at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine

Ukraine joined the Eureka network in 2006 to hurdle barriers in international research and development cooperation and to better connect its researchers and innovators with European partners. For many years, Ukrainian organisations faced limited access to global markets, fragmented funding for applied research and insufficient international visibility. These challenges slowed the commercialisation of innovative projects and limited the country’s competitiveness.

Eureka’s involvement as a funding mechanism and strategic partner comes at a juncture where resilience and reconstruction are key priorities in Ukraine. Post-war recovery will require innovations in infrastructure rebuilding, energy security and digital crisis-management tools, as well as health technologies addressing veterans’ needs. Forward-thinking technologies such as advanced prosthetics and treatments for hearing and otolaryngological injuries will be critical for Ukrainian communities in the coming years.

What was especially encouraging for Ukraine was seeing how Eureka’s values were in lockstep with a country battling a ruthless adversary. After Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion and following the Council of Europe’s expulsion of Russia, the network immediately stood by Ukraine and voted to suspend Russia’s membership, demonstrating a united vision to support Ukraine in this ravaging conflict.

Cross-border collaboration saw a significant increase under the Eureka partnership. Exchanging knowledge and skillsets also surged, which created new opportunities for joint ventures. Areas for collaborations included ICT, renewable energy, biotechnology and advanced materials, all of which assisted Ukrainian companies in adapting to European standards and integrating into global value chains.

Another example of what this impactful partnership resulted in can be seen in Ukraine’s collaboration in the ICT sector with Scandinavian companies, which led to digital solutions later applied in healthcare and public services.

It is evident that Ukraine’s participation in Eureka will accelerate commercialisation of research results, invigorate job creation and secure deeper integration into European and global value chains. The network will continue to provide Ukrainian innovators with valuable expertise, access to investors and enduring partnerships.

Going forward, Ukraine envisions an even deeper integration into the Eureka community, especially in relation to programmes such as Clusters and Globalstars. Post-war recovery will require innovation and technological expertise to instil unwavering resilience in both the business community and the wider population.

Ukraine views future collaborative research and development projects as crucial vehicles to foster competitiveness, resilience and shared European prosperity, whilst highlighting Ukraine’s position as a visible and significant contributor to the global innovation landscape.