First meeting of the international coalition for science, research and innovation in Ukraine
Berne, 26.06.2026 — On 26 June, the first high-level meeting of the international coalition for science, research and innovation in Ukraine took place in Gdańsk on the fringes of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC). A joint declaration is intended to send a message of international solidarity in support of the reconstruction of Ukraine’s research and innovation system.
The international coalition was launched on the fringes of URC 2025 in Rome with the adoption of the Declaration on Science, Research and Innovation in Ukraine and is committed to rebuilding and strengthening Ukraine’s research and innovation system. On the Swiss side, the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) have joined the coalition.
The coalition members adopted a joint, non-binding declaration at the high-level meeting in Gdańsk on 26 June. Jacques Gerber, the Federal Council Delegate for Ukraine, signed the document on behalf of the EAER. The declaration sets out a clear direction for dialogue within the coalition and for the measures taken by the coalition partners.
Ukraine has long been an important partner for Switzerland in the fields of education, research and innovation. Switzerland has been providing additional support to Ukraine since the start of the war. The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU) are providing CHF 7.6 million in funding for joint research projects. Within this framework, the SNSF is covering the cost of salaries and research in Ukraine. The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) has made funding available for this purpose from the federal government’s bilateral programmes.
The SNSF, SERI and the Paul Scherrer Institute are jointly providing a total of CHF 3.5 million towards the ‘Light for Ukraine’ project. There are plans to build a beamline to support Ukraine’s photon research. In addition, SERI has agreed to cover Ukraine’s annual contributions, in conjunction with the other CERN member states. It is also providing financial support for the organisation and administration of entrance examinations at Ukrainian higher education institutions for Ukrainian pupils currently living in Switzerland.
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Switzerland's support for people affected by the war in Ukraine
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