Analysis of war damage to the Ukrainian science sector and its consequences

As a result of the bombing of Ukrainian cities over the past two years, many scientists in the public sector have been forced to change both their city of residence and their place of work. By January 2024, 12% of Ukrainian scientists and university teachers had been forced to emigrate or relocate internally. About 30% of all Ukrainian scientists have been forced to work remotely. Another 1,518 scientists have volunteered for combat duty.

The cost of restoring Ukraine’s public research infrastructure has been estimated at US$ 1.2637 billion. This figure covers both scientific equipment (US$ 46 million) and buildings. Some 1,443 buildings belonging to 177 public scientific institutions have been damaged or destroyed since February 2022. Not all buildings can be assessed, however, as many are located in territories temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.

The war has also eroded state budgets allocated to scientific institutions. In parallel, the number of contracts concluded with domestic and foreign business partners has fallen sharply, further diminishing the income of scientific institutions. Opportunities for joint research and technical projects have been curbed by the migration of scientists. These factors have led to a drop in scientific productivity at both national and international levels.

The present study has been commissioned from the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine by UNESCO. The study is intended to inform UNESCO’s strategy for supporting a recovery plan for Ukraine’s science sector.