This was stated by the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Oksen Lisovyi at an event held in Berlin on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Ukrainian-German scientific and technical cooperation, Ukrinform correspondent reported.

“Modern warfare is clearly a war of technology, and here we need an advantage over the enemy. So, despite everything, we are significantly increasing the state budget for the development of science in 2024 – more than 20 percent compared to this year’s budget.” said.

According to him, a significant part of these funds will be directed to supporting the research of young scientists, the development of the basic financing system of universities and scientific institutions, the financing of priority scientific developments to solve the main problems of the economy, society and, of course, defense.

The head of the Ministry of Education and Culture noted that during the war, Ukrainians developed and modernized multiple models of unmanned aerial vehicles, including marine drones. Ukrainian defenders, especially the 93rd brigade, were the first to use FPV drones on the battlefield.

“These kamikaze drones are literally changing the situation in certain areas of the front today,” the minister added.

He also said that despite all the difficulties of the war, we started to transform the education and science system with the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

“Bet on the development of technologies and innovations, preservation and strengthening of human capital… One of the threats to Ukraine at the moment is the migration of intellectuals… The task is to preserve and develop this capital, because many scientists after the invasion of Russia had to go abroad ” said Lisovyi, reminding that Germany provided shelter to more than one million Ukrainian citizens, including thousands of scientists.

“It is extremely important for Ukraine that Germany takes into account the fact that we want to return these people to the Ukrainian scientific and research environment,” the minister said. he added.

He also reported that approximately 15 percent of the research infrastructure in Ukraine was damaged as a result of Russia’s aggression. These are unique scientific equipment, research laboratories, centers for mass use of scientific equipment, etc.

“Our task is to repair what is damaged and build a new one. For this we need a strong partnership and investments.” stressed the head of the Ministry of National Education and Culture.

Germany is one of Ukraine’s main partners in the scientific field. More than 30 years of cooperation have led to the joint implementation of more than 200 research projects by scientists of the two countries and the establishment of hundreds of connections between universities, scientific institutions and innovative initiatives. Lisovyi noted that more than 65 percent of Ukrainian research within the European Horizon Europe project is carried out in full cooperation with German partners.

According to Ukrinform, the “Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in the Field of Science, Technology and Innovation” was signed during the visit of the Ministry of Education and Culture delegation to Berlin. The previous similar document was signed 30 years ago, in 1993. The Declaration envisages the creation of centers of excellence in the field of science in the future, and thus the establishment of state research centers on their basis in the future.

Photo: Olga Tanasiychuk