RIFF Information Day in Kyiv: Event Recap

The scientific project RIFF (Research Infrastructures for the Future of Ukraine) is an urgent international initiative aimed at the restoration and modernization of the research infrastructure of Ukraine, which represents the creation of a "Road Map" for the integration of Ukrainian scientific institutions into the European research space, taking into account the destruction caused by the war.

In January-February 2026, "Information days of the RIFF project" were held in major cities of Ukraine.

RIFF Project Information Days are a series of events aimed at:
1) present the concept of RI in the EU;
2) provide opportunities for Ukrainian RIs within the framework of the RIF;
3) to unite Ukrainian researchers and RI leaders for the development of the RI community in Ukraine and its connections with the RI community in the EU.

On February 16, 2026, the final information day took place in Kyiv, an event within the framework of the Research Infrastructures for the Future of Ukraine (RIFF) initiative, where scientists were told about the possibilities of upgrading equipment and grant support.

The event brought together a broad audience of representatives from scientific institutions, universities, and research infrastructures, with over 170 participants in attendance.

Welcoming remarks were delivered by Anatoliy Zagorodny, President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and Zoya Petrenko, Head of the Expert Group on the Development and Operation of Research and Critical Infrastructure at the Directorate for Science Development of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

The event was moderated by Maryna Yaroslavna Horokhovatska, Scientific Secretary of the Consolidated Planning Sector within the Scientific-Organizational Department of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

The first presentation, covering the activities of the RIFF project and the roadmap development process, was given by:

Ondřej Hradil, RIFF project coordinator at Masaryk University (Czech Republic), presented a talk titled "Specific Opportunities for Engaging the Ukrainian Scientific Community." He outlined the RIFF project, its primary goals and objectives, and discussed the key research infrastructures involved in the project as well as the opportunities available to Ukrainian scientific institutions.

Serhii Kovalenko, Head of the Operations Support Sector at the Scientific Support Department of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU), presented information on the development of research infrastructure within the NASU.

Ricardo Miguéis (Portugal), Head of the INESC Brussels Office and a RIFF project partner, delivered a presentation titled "Experience in Developing an EU Roadmap for Research Infrastructures: Examples from the Czech Republic, Portugal, Norway, and ESFRI." In his talk, he emphasized the importance of creating a national research infrastructure roadmap and explained the principles for evaluating research infrastructures, as well as the requirements for scientific teams and institutions to participate in relevant initiatives.

Yuliia Mukha, Doctor of Chemical Sciences (L.V. Pisarzhevsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, NAS of Ukraine) and a graduate of the European Research Infrastructure Managers (EMMRI) training program, reported on cooperation between European and Ukrainian research infrastructures, discussed challenges, cited successful examples, and outlined future directions for the work.

Enrico Guarini, a RIFF partner from the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy), presented the Master’s program in Research Infrastructure Management and other educational opportunities offered by the RIFF project.

Volodymyr Dzhyhan, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Head of Department at the V.Ye. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics (NAS of Ukraine) and a grant recipient from the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU), shared his experience implementing the NRFU project titled "Establishment of the State Key Laboratory: Center for Critical Optoelectronics, Micro-/Nano-technologies, and Expertise."

Liudmyla Tautiieva, an analyst at the EFIS Centre and a partner in the RIFF project, presented a report titled "Defining Research Infrastructure and Presenting the Open Call (Discussion of the Online Questionnaire)." She provided a detailed overview of the concept of research infrastructure within both Ukrainian and European contexts, as well as the types of research infrastructures defined by Ukrainian legislation. Special attention was paid to the RIFF project, its benefits, and the practical aspects of participating in the RIFF call for proposals, which is scheduled to launch in March. The speaker demonstrated the RIFF application form and provided a step-by-step explanation of the required information and how to correctly complete each section. A portion of the event was dedicated to discussing the content of the questionnaire, its specific questions, and the responses expected from the Ukrainian community.

In addition to the presentations, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers. Following the formal part of the event, participants present in Kyiv stayed on for informal networking, exchanging contact details, and discussing current cooperation issues.

The RIFF Information Day in Kyiv served as a vital platform for dialogue between Ukrainian and European partners; it fostered knowledge sharing regarding research infrastructures and informed the Ukrainian community about the RIFF initiative, which aims to develop Ukrainian research infrastructure and integrate it into the European Research Area.