Professor Igor Hirka is participating as a Scientific Expert in the "Remote Research Grants for Ukrainian Researchers" competition

On April 3, 2023, the European Commission announced the "Remote Research Grants for Ukrainian Researchers," a competition for scientific projects to support Ukrainian scientists based in Ukraine, under the work package 9.1 of the EURIZON program.

The Scientific Expert Group of the competition includes two representatives from Ukraine: Olga Polotska, the Executive Director of the National Research Fund of Ukraine, and Professor Igor Hirka from the Education and Scientific Institute "School of Physics and Technology."

As of June 30, a total of 786 applications were registered from Ukrainian research project leaders. Such high participation by Ukrainian scientists exceeded all expectations of the competition organizers, highlighting the urgent need for scientific support within Ukraine under the challenging conditions of the war.

In terms of thematic directions of the submitted requests, "Physical Sciences and Technology" is the clear leader with 281 applications, corresponding to the thematic focus of the technical work packages of the EURIZON project.

All applications anticipate developing contacts with European partners from 32 countries, primarily from Poland, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, and Italy.

Overall, teams from virtually every corner of Ukraine participated in the EURIZON competition. Most experts were pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the requests, demonstrating that Ukrainian science remains vibrant and at a very high level despite the ongoing conflict.

Furthermore, the large number of applications prompted the organizers to request a three-fold increase in the competition's budget from the European Commission. If approved by the competition's jury, this would allow support for approximately 300 scientists in Ukraine.