A Strategic Framework for Ukraine’s Scientific Recovery – Video on the Gdańsk Declaration and the Road Ahead

30. September 2026

ALLEA has released a new video alongside the European Commission and other partners that highlights the strategic priorities for science, research, and innovation in Ukraine’s recovery. Published in the wake of a devastating attack on the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv, its message could not be more timely.

ALLEA, along with the European Commission, has published a new video on the strategic directions for science, research, and innovation as part of Ukraine’s recovery based on the outcomes of the first High-Level Steering Committee Meeting of the International Coalition for Science, Research and Innovation in Ukraine. The meeting was held on 26 June 2026 on the margins of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, Poland.

More information on ALLEA’s participation at Gdańsk, Poland can be found here: ALLEA Contributes to High-Level Discussions on the Role of Science in Ukraine’s Recovery

You can watch the video here on ALLEA’s Youtube channel here or view in the player below.

The video comes at a moment of painful urgency. The most recent of ongoing Russian strikes on Ukraine has targeted the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in central Kyiv. The attack is a stark reminder that Ukraine’s scientific institutions remain under direct and deliberate threat. In turn, the results of the international commitments made in Gdańsk must not simply be long-term aspirations, but immediate necessities responding to this ongoing threat.

Reviewing the Gdańsk Declaration

The Gdańsk meeting brought together representatives of 35 member organisations, including national ministries, the European Commission, UNESCO, and research funding and performing organisations, to establish a shared strategic framework for supporting Ukraine’s science, research, and innovation ecosystem. The meeting concluded with the signing of the Gdańsk Declaration, co-chaired by EU Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva and Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Tetyana Berezhna.

The Declaration’s core message is that international support for Ukraine must evolve from emergency solidarity into long-term, equal strategic partnership and is one that recognises Ukraine not only as a recipient of support, but as a significant scientific partner in its own right.

Among the priorities identified:

  • Embedding research and innovation into Ukraine’s recovery financing, with an ambition to reach 3% of GDP in R&D investment once the war has ended
  • Deeper integration into the European Research Area and continued participation in Horizon Europe
  • Protecting human capital — because while infrastructure can be rebuilt, a lost generation of researchers cannot be replaced
  • Strengthening institutional capacity through research management, independent peer review, and merit-based funding
  • Supporting direct, bottom-up cooperation between researchers and institutions, grounded in scientific excellence and mutual interest

ALLEA’s Continuing Commitment

ALLEA has consistently stood alongside Ukraine’s scientific community since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. We strongly support the framework established in Gdańsk, and call on our member academies and partners across the European scientific community to engage with its priorities, contribute to its Communities of Interest where possible, and continue advocating for the protection and rebuilding of Ukraine’s scientific institutions.