Thematic Summit under the auspices of the RIFF project: a platform for common scientific interests and cooperation on the implementation of research infrastructures in Ukraine

Under the auspices of the EU Horizon RIFF project «Research Infrastructures for the Future of Ukraine: Roadmap for Sustained Growth and Recovery», the goal of which is aimed at the restoration, development and integration of Ukrainian research infrastructures (RIs) into the European Research Area (ERA), a Thematic Summit on health and food, environment, as well as data infrastructure, computing and digital research was held on June 15-16, 2026 at the Masaryk University (MUNI).

The summit was attended by those responsible for developing a roadmap for the integration of Ukrainian research infrastructures into the European space in the direction of the RIFF project environment, head of the department of general ecology, radiobiology and biodiversity, Alla KLEPKO, and Associate Professor of the department of agrosphere ecology and environmental control, Vita STROKAL. The main goal of the summit was to strengthen cooperation and establish links between the Ukrainian research community and the pan-European research infrastructure. The summit will focus on three areas of ESFRI (European Strategic Forum on Research Infrastructures): environment (ENV), data, computing and digital research engineers (DIGIT), and health and nutrition (H&F).

The summit brought together scientists, educators, and experts from Ukraine and the EU to exchange experiences, build partnerships, and explore specific ways of Ukraine's integration into the European research area (ERA). The summit served as a bridge between the EU and Ukrainian research infrastructure communities, a space for meetings, discussion of common challenges and initiation of future cooperation that can contribute to both scientific excellence and sustainable revitalization of Ukraine.

During the event, Alla KLEPKO and Vita STROKAL had the focused and meaningful discussions with representatives of the areas of health and nutrition, digital infrastructures and experts in the development of research infrastructures in the environmental area.

A valuable outcome of the summit was the meetings with experts involved in the development of a roadmap for the development of research infrastructures in Ukraine in the environmental field, Prof. Dr. Sanna Kaisa Sorvari Sundet, Prof. Dr. Martin SCHERINGER, as well as the co-coordinator of this area, Jana KLÁNOVÁ. The meeting was also joined by RIFF coordinator Ondřej HRADIL, and expert from the Ukrainian side Larysa SHEVCHUK.

During the summit, in order to establish and strengthen cooperation for the development of a roadmap for the integration of Ukrainian research infrastructures into the European space in the direction of the environment, meetings were held with representatives of the Borys Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Observatory Hanna DOROSHENKO and Olena KOSOVETS-SKAVRONSKA, the Institute of Agroecology and Environmental Management of Ukraine of NAAS of Ukraine Evhenia TKACH, the Institute of Agricultural Microbiology and Agroindustrial Production of NAAS of Ukraine Olha TERTYCHNA and other representatives of the institutions.

We would like to thank the summit organizers, RIFF project coordinator Ondřej HRADIL, and representatives of Masaryk University (MUNI) for the excellent organization, warm atmosphere, positive impressions, and the opportunity to have meaningful discussions with representatives of European infrastructures and Ukrainian experts, educators, and scientists.