Responsibility, international solidarity, openness, inclusion, mobility, flexibility and predictability. They are words that will already be familiar to all of us engaged in the international scientific community.
So perhaps it’s not too surprising that they are also the watchwords selected by a recent report on the Ukraine crisis, identified as the keys to helping to support and rebuild ‘scientific systems’ impacted by conflict (https://council.science/current/news/safeguarding-science-in-the-wake-of-conflict/).
But what do those words mean? And how can we translate them into concrete actions to support our fellow scientists impacted by conflict?
It is now nine months since Russia invaded Ukraine. With Christmas fast approaching and no end to the conflict in sight, the Ukrainian population will have a difficult winter. Along with the thousands who have died and been displaced, the damaged infrastructure, lack of equipment and resources have all had a catastrophic impact on the country’s research and industrial community. A recent Nature editorial pointed out that (doi: 10.1038/d41586-022-02760-2), as of September, around 22,000 of the Ukrainian research work force has already been compelled to leave the country.
Around the world scientific organisations have been quick to condemn Russian aggression. Some have pledged support for Ukrainian researchers, with the offer of access to research publications, sponsorships and funding support. In October came the announcement of a $3m donation from the Breakthrough Prize Foundation – a non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing cutting-edge scientific research – for establishing an international coordinating group of scientific organisations to support Ukraine’s scientists. With the ultimate aim of helping to rebuild a successful global science and innovation system in Ukraine. The US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the Polish Academy of Sciences will act as secretariats for the coordinating group, which involves representatives from countries including the UK. Earlier in 2022 the Foundation made a $1m donation to the NAS’ Scientists and Engineers in Exile or Displaced (SEED) initiative, helping Ukrainian scientists and engineers maintain their livelihoods and international contacts during the current upheaval.
The award is welcome news and follows an international conference in July in Lugano, Switzerland, where many governments committed to a set of principles outlining how the international community will work in partnership with Ukraine to support reconstruction.
Sadly, however, the war in Ukraine is not the first time, and unlikely to be the last, we see our fellow scientists have their lives and their work disrupted by conflict. Around the globe, there are researchers struggling to work amid the turmoil created by prejudice, oppression and political uncertainty.
‘The war in Ukraine must be a warning sign that there will be other episodes which disrupt science, and we are not well prepared,’ said ISC President Peter Gluckman, at the launch of the report on Widening research and innovation cooperation in times of war. ‘As a scientific community we can either be passive or recognise that in finding ways to help Ukraine we must also generalise and find ways to ensure our planet’s and people’s futures.’
As we head into the Christmas period, it is good to reflect on what we can all do to protect our environment and improve the lives of those around us.
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