Partners meeting within the International RIFF Project Took Place at NUBiP of Ukraine
On October 30, 2025, the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP) hosted a meeting with partners from the Czech Republic and Portugal as part of the international project RIFF (Research Infrastructures for the Future of Ukraine: Roadmap for Sustained Growth and Recovery), funded under the Horizon Europe program.
The RIFF project aims to modernize and strategically develop the system of research infrastructures in Ukraine. Its goal is to create a roadmap for the recovery and enhancement of scientific infrastructures, which will serve as a foundation for long-term science and innovation policies aligned with the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). The project combines a bottom-up approach – engaging the scientific community, conducting an open call for proposals, and organizing educational and awareness-raising activities for potential applicants – with a top-down approach that includes consultations with the government, policymakers, and international experts. RIFF places particular emphasis on supporting the green and digital transition, developing human potential, fostering knowledge exchange between Ukrainian and European researchers, and establishing sustainable governance and financing mechanisms for research infrastructures. Within the project, analytical, educational, and communication initiatives are being implemented to help restore Ukraine’s scientific capacity, enhance its competitiveness, and integrate it into the European Research Area (ERA).
NUBiP welcomed Ondřej HRADIL from Masaryk University (Czech Republic), Ricardo MIGUEIS from the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC, Portugal), and Liudmyla TAUTIYEVA from the EFIS Centre (Belgium).
During the meeting with NUBiP Rector Vadym TKACHUK and Vice-Rector for Scientific, Pedagogical Work and International Activity Oleksandr LABENKO, the partners discussed strategic directions for the development of research infrastructure in Ukraine, prospects for modernization of the educational environment, current reforms in science and education implemented by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, as well as the challenges and opportunities facing universities. Special attention was paid to the role of NUBiP of Ukraine in implementing the RIFF project’s objectives.
Participants emphasized that the project’s results will contribute to aligning Ukraine’s science and education system with the European Research Area (ERA) standards, strengthening universities’ capacity in innovation, data management, human resource development, and promoting open science. An important aspect of the project is also building management skills for research infrastructures through training and educational programs for Ukrainian managers and researchers.
After the official part, the guests visited the university’s research laboratories and the NUBiP Equestrian Sports Complex, where they learned about examples of university research infrastructures and their potential for international collaboration.
Within the RIFF project, NUBiP of Ukraine plays a multifaceted role, engaging in analytical, communication, educational, organizational, and management activities. In particular, the university contributes to collecting and analyzing data on research infrastructures, developing a national roadmap for their growth, organizing information days, workshops, and capacity-building programs. Moreover, NUBiP actively facilitates the involvement of Ukrainian researchers in European initiatives and disseminates project results among the academic community.
We sincerely thank our partners for their visit, constructive dialogue, inspiring exchange of ideas, and continued support of Ukrainian science. Together, we are building a strong foundation for the recovery and strengthening of Ukraine’s research potential.