JERZY DUSZYŃSKI, MARCIA MCNUTT AND ANATOLY ZAGORODNY for Science.
As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth month, Russian forces continue to destroy the nation’s scientific institutions and infrastructure, signaling Russia’s intent to obliterate the future for Ukraine. In Kharkiv, for instance, the renowned Institute of Physics and Technology and its newly built Neutron Source nuclear facility have been heavily damaged. Even the Plant Production Institute with its underground national seed bank—one of the world’s largest—has been bombed. At the Chernobyl nuclear labs, Russian forces have looted or destroyed hundreds of computers, radiation dosimeters, and irreplaceable software and equipment. Although the response to each international science crisis is necessarily unique, the US National Academy of Sciences is once again joining with international and regional partners to support beleaguered colleagues, as it did last year in the successful extraction and resettlement of Afghanistan scientists at risk from the Taliban. To that end, the national science academies of Poland, Ukraine, and the United States recently convened a meeting of leaders from several national science academies (including the presidents of Germany’s Leopoldina science academy, the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, and the ALLEA European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, and leaders from the Royal Society of the United Kingdom) to explore how the global science community can best help Ukraine. The resulting 10-point action plan for the world’s research community aims to help meet several immediate needs and also provide the building blocks for revitalizing Ukrainian science in the future.The plan seeks to support researchers working within Ukrainian institutions, as well as their teams—whether within Ukraine or in neighboring countries—both scientifically and financially so that these generations of researchers will not be lost to science or to Ukraine. Along with the traditional types of support provided by international cooperation and collaboration, funders are considering developing grant programs for joint research, particularly if conducted inside Ukraine. Some journal publishers have waived Ukraine’s institutional subscription charges and author publication charges, and scientific societies are considering temporarily suspending membership dues. Such steps open the opportunity to immediately increase connections of Ukrainian researchers to thriving international research communities. It is also vital that science be a cornerstone of any postwar reconstruction of Ukraine.There is also an urgent need for donated instruments, including various types of microscopes, spectrometers, and materials testing machines to keep these researchers productive. At the same time, many female scholars forced to flee, most with children, need temporary research positions and financial support for themselves and their research teams until they can return home. The Polish Academy of Sciences and the US National Academy of Sciences have partnered to place temporarily some 220 Ukrainian researchers in Polish science institutions and provide financial support so that they can continue to make valuable contributions to research. Programs like this will hopefully expand within Poland and into other European countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, and Denmark while allowing these scientists to retain their Ukrainian science affiliations until they can return home.Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic can also be applied to help Ukrainian researchers form virtual networks with international colleagues, with intentional encouragement from institutions and researchers. These efforts cost little but would keep these scientists engaged and involved.Once the war is over, it is hoped that Ukraine will swiftly begin the monumental task of rebuilding. National science academies around the world should advocate that international aid to Ukraine be directed to rebuilding science infrastructure alongside other critical needs such as transportation, energy, and health care. Rebuilding Ukrainian science should not concentrate on replicating what was lost, but on equipping the country’s scientific enterprise to meet shared 21st-century challenges—such as preparing for future pandemics, fighting climate change, and sharing the benefits of science equally and equitably.The stakes of the war in Ukraine are high—the future of democracy in Europe is at risk. The global science community should not only help guarantee that Ukrainian science remains a vital source of national advancement, but also ensure that it is part of international science so that its values of collaboration, cooperation, and mutual trust continue to contribute to a better world.