About the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine was founded on November 27, 1918 in Kyiv. Its first President was the world-famous scientist V.I. Vernadsky.

According to the current legislation, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NAS of Ukraine, Academy) is the supreme scientific self-governing organization of Ukraine based on state property. The self-government of the Academy means the independent determination of research topics and forms of research organization and conduct, the formation of academic structure, the solution of scientific, organizational, economic, personnel issues, the implementation of international scientific relations, the electivity and collegiality of management bodies. The Academy unites full members, corresponding members and foreign members, all scholars of academic institutions; it organizes and carries out fundamental and applied scientific research on the most important problems of natural, engineering, social and humanitarian sciences.

The General Meeting of full members (academicians) and corresponding members is the superior self-governing body of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The sessions of the General Meeting (except for issues related to the election of full members, corresponding members and foreign members of the NAS of Ukraine) are attended by scholars delegated by the labor groups of scientific institutions of the Academy who have the decision-making vote, foreign members, top managers of scientific institutions of the Academy and representatives of the scientific community with the advisory vote.The Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which is elected by the General Meeting for a term of 5 years, guides the work of the Academy between sessions of the General Meeting. The Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, elected in October 2020, consists of 34 persons, including the president, five vice-presidents, 14 academicians-secretaries of departments, and 14 members of the Presidium of the Academy as well. 5 acting members of the Presidium and 15 advisers to the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine also participate in the meetings of the Presidium with the advisory vote.

The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine has 3 sections (physical, engineering and mathematical sciences; chemical and biological sciences; social and humanitarian sciences) that unite 14 departments: mathematics; computer science; mechanics and mechanical engineering; physics and astronomy; Earth sciences; materials science; energy and power technologies; nuclear physics and energy; chemistry; biochemistry, physiology and molecular biology; general biology; economics; history, philosophy and law; literature, linguistic and art studies.

The Academy has 5 regional scientific centers of dual subordination with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine: Donetsk (Pokrovsk), Western (Lviv), Southern (Odesa), North-Eastern (Kharkiv), Prydniprovsky (Dnipro), as well as the Center for evaluation of the activities of scientific institutions and scientific support for the development of regions (Kyiv). The statutory activities of the Crimean Scientific Center and its funding from the budget of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine were suspended in 2014.

The main element of the structure of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine is research institutes and other scientific institutions (observatories, botanical gardens, arboretums, nature reserves, libraries, museums, etc.). The structure of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine includes national institutions – the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine, National Scientific Center “Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology”, National Historic and Archaeological Reserve “Olvia”, M.M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden, Sofiivka National Dendrological Park, National Natural Science Museum, V. Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv, National Center “Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine”. The structure of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine also includes enterprises of the research and production base (research enterprises, design and technological organizations, scientific and engineering centers). Currently, there are 158 scientific institutions and 43 enterprises with the research and production base within the structure of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

The Law of Ukraine “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2024” allocates 5,827,352.6 thousand hryvnias from the general fund for financing the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 2024.

The total number of employees of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine as of January 1, 2024 was 24,980, including 13,444 researchers, 2,340 DSc and 6,333 PhD among them.

20 employees of the Academy were killed or missed in the battles with the invaders and under aggressor’s bombing of civilian objects.

About 1,500 (11%) scholars of the institutions of the NAS of Ukraine temporarily moved abroad, more than 700 scholars (5%) changed their place of residence and moved to other regions of Ukraine escaping from Russian military aggression.

As of June 1, 2024, the NAS of Ukraine includes 180 full members (academicians), 379 corresponding members, and 82 foreign members.

As a result of the full-scale Russian military aggression, some institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine were caught up in a war on the territories temporarily occupied by Russian aggressors, and the military actions make full-fledged work of many institutions impossible. Buildings and scientific equipment of institutes located in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Sumy, Mykolaiv were partially or completely destroyed. So far, about 220 objects of the property complex have been destroyed or damaged. The balance sheet value of the destroyed property is more than half a billion hryvnias.

The top managers of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine promptly adopted a number of decisions to ensure the functioning of institutes and their infrastructure facilities, their protection, organization of the work schedule of employees, payroll payment, unconditional preservation of all personnel and accounting documents, etc.

The topics of scientific research aimed at ensuring the defense and security of the state have been updated and significantly expanded. The list of respective scientific research, priority scientific and engineering developments has been coordinated with the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Strategic Industries.

The focus areas of new topics of scientific research and scientific and technological development of the Academy’s institutions for 2024 has been determined in view of the need to solve problems which are important for the defense and security of the state and the post-war recovery of the country.

At the meetings of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, reports on research are regularly heard, the results of which can be used to increase the country’s defense capability and minimize the consequences of military operations. Much attention is paid to debunking myths and misinformation generated by the aggressor’s propaganda.

Employees of the Academy provide assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine on a volunteer basis. They manufacture their own developments and give them to medical institutions and the military on the front line: hemostatic, antiseptic drugs, medical immobilization pneumatic frames, materials for body armor vest, autonomous portable solar power plants, mobile heating furnaces and autonomous power systems, etc. They support projects aimed at providing the Armed Forces with the advanced means of surveillance and intelligence with their own funds.

A significant contribution to the implementation of this important direction of the Academy's activity is made by the Council of Presidents of the Academies of Sciences of Ukraine, the Scientific and Technical Council of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Expert Council on Evaluation of Fundamental Scientific Research Topics at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, as well as the Scientific Coordination Councils of the Sections of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The work of these bodies contributes to the development and implementation of an agreed scientific policy, the preparation and submission to the power structures of proposals for the improvement of the regulatory and legal framework for the functioning of the scientific sphere, material, technical and financial support for research, the involvement of institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in solving current scientific, technical and social problems, implementation of scientific developments of institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, expansion of cooperation between scientific institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and production enterprises.

Scientific and coordination work on specific current scientific directions and problems is carried out by sections and branches of the NAS of Ukraine, public scientific associations of the NAS of Ukraine. Currently, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine has 77 scientific councils, 15 committees, 17 commissions, and 24 scientific societies. Their efforts are focused on promoting the coordination of prospective scientific research, preparing proposals and analytical materials for state authorities, organizing and conducting scientific readings, conferences, seminars, and symposia.

Preparation of scientific assessments and forecasts of socio-political, socio-economic and cultural development of the state, substantiated proposals and recommendations on these issues, participation in the formation of state policy in the field of scientific and scientific and technical activities is one of the main tasks of the Academy as the highest scientific organization of the country.

In 2022, institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine at the request of various state authorities provided more than 2,000 expert opinions (proposals, remarks, approvals, comments, etc.) to regulatory and legal acts and program documents, informational and analytical materials (scientific assessments, forecasts, proposals and recommendations ) on current issues of social development.

More than 100 analytical materials have been prepared and sent to the state authorities of Ukraine, interested ministries and departments (including the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the National Bank of Ukraine, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Social Policy, the Ministry of Infrastructure, etc.), in particular on the assessment of Ukraine's losses from the military invasion of the Russian Federation, challenges and threats to the economic security of Ukraine, the historical experience of managing the economy in the conditions of post-war recovery, the potential of public finances for the economic recovery of Ukraine, the reaction of the labor market of Ukraine to the challenges of war shocks, the consequences of military actions for the aggregate demand and supply of Ukraine, ways of restoring agricultural exports of Ukraine, improving the mechanism of involvement private investments to speed up the restoration of infrastructure destroyed by the war, etc.

On a regular basis, an expert evaluation of the subject of fundamental research of the country's scientific institutions was carried out, which is carried out with the funds of the state budget of Ukraine. During 2022, the Expert Council on the Assessment of Topics of Fundamental Research Works at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine reviewed 412 research works of the four main managers of budget funds, for each of which an appropriate expert opinion was provided regarding the feasibility of its financing from the state budget.

International scientific cooperation is carried out within the framework of 130 current agreements concluded by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine with academies, state institutions, scientific organizations and educational institutions of 50 countries of the world, including countries of Europe, America, Asia, and Africa. In general, more than 130 institutions of the Academy participate in the implementation of various forms of international cooperation.

The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and its individual institutions represent our country and the national scientific community in about 30 international organizations, including the International Union of Academies of Humanities and Social Sciences (IUA), the All-European Federation of Academies of Sciences (ALLEA), the International Committee for Space Research (COSPAR). Scientific teams of academic institutions take an active part in the activities of international scientific associations and centers: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), European Scientific Association for Geophysical Research (EISCAT), European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), UNESCO program bodies, UNESCO Strategic Group - MAB.

Scientists of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine are active participants in international programs supported by such foreign and international foundations and organizations as the European Commission, UNTSC, NATO, UNESCO, DFG, CRDF, etc. About 300 research, coordination and scientific exchange supporting projects are implemented annually based on the grants of these organizations and bilateral projects of intergovernmental programs obtained on a competitive basis.

In accordance with the Association Agreement with the EU, relations with the scientific centers of EU countries and organizations of the European Commission are expanding, in particular in the areas of participation in the EU framework programs for research and innovation, EURATOM, the European cloud of open science, interaction on a permanent basis with the United Research the European Commission Center (JRC), the European Regional Center of the Global Earth Observation Network EuroGEO, the European Enterprise Network EEN.

As part of the exchange programs of scientists of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, about 80 bilateral projects with the academies of sciences of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are implemented annually with the provision of exchange of scientists according to the quotas determined by the relevant agreements.

An indispensable component of the international cooperation of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine is the foreign economic activity of conducting research, producing materials, equipment, and developing software products on the order of foreign companies and scientific organizations. This activity is carried out by more than 30 scientific institutions of the Academy.

In the conditions of Russian military aggression, international cooperation acquired a new meaning. The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine stopped any cooperation with the institutions and scientists of the aggressor country and the Republic of Belarus, and also called on the world scientific community to do so. Considerable efforts were made to attract support from international and foreign organizations in the form of grants for research, funds for the maintenance and restoration of scientific infrastructure, and humanitarian aid to Ukrainian scientists. The results of the meeting of the president of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine with representatives of the national academies of sciences of the G7 countries, which took place in Berlin on May 31, 2022, became important for the implementation of these tasks. In addition, on June 2, 2022, tripartite talks between the presidents of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and the US National Academy of Sciences took place in Warsaw. The result of these meetings was the formation of a joint 10-step action plan aimed at creating a basis for the future restoration of science in Ukraine. One of the points of this plan has started to be implemented regarding the provision of grants for international projects, the participants of which are domestic scientists who continue to work in Ukraine. Representatives of foreign academies of sciences also declared the provision of financial assistance and equipment to our institutions. Foreign companies - manufacturers of scientific equipment, as charitable aid, provide 15 high-value unique devices to Academy institutions in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Odesa.