Ukraine-German Commission receives 78 applications for project funding from Ukrainian research institutes

The Ukraine-German Commission for Scientific and Technological Cooperation will consider 78 scientific projects that have been submitted by Ukrainian institutes for grant funding by the governments of Germany and Ukraine for 2017-2018. The list of projects and potential for further work were considered and signed off on 13 July in Berlin during a joint meeting of Ukrainian and German experts.

"As a condition of the competitive tender, Ukrainian scientists had to apply for study in collaboration with representatives of scientific institutions in Germany. Such bilateral projects can receive joint Ukraine-German funding and open up the opportunity for our scientists to carry out research at German scientific institutions using scientific equipment which may not always be found in Ukraine", said Maksym Strikha, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine.

Applications for funding were submitted in one of two categories - structural projects and traditional (or academic mobility projects). Structural projects are designed to generate solutions that will reform the mechanisms of scientific activity in universities and the Academy of Science of Ukraine, as well as promote the creation of new research clusters. Traditional projects are aimed at studying specific scientific issues and support cross-visits of Ukrainian and German scientists who are working to address common scientific issues.

Among the 78 applications submitted, there are 16 are structural projects for which there is generally greater funding, and 62 are in the traditional category. At the beginning of autumn, 10 of them will be chosen to receive funding.

"If we talk about the statistics of applications, of 42 projects submitted by university researchers, 30 are from Institutes under the National Academy of Science of Ukraine, and the rest from research organisations under various Ministries and specialised academies" said Maksym Strikha.

Leading the number of applications are: Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv Polytechnic Institute National University of Technology, Lviv Polytechnic National University of Technology, and the Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine.

The research subjects that have been submitted for the competitive tender include many contemporary issues, including: research in nano-technology, the study of climate change, studies of epidemics in animals, the creation of bioactive compounds, the manufacture of biomaterials, wind energy, development of compounds against cancer and diabetes, arthroplasty, research into and the creation of modern composite materials, the introduction of technology into wastewater treatment, synthesis of nanocrystals, energy management, reforming the structures and systems of technology transfer, development of orthopaedic implants, joint archaeological research into the Iron Age, fibre optics development, and projects for the coordination of large-scale experiments.