For the first time since Ukraine gained its independence, a separate intergovernmental agreement on scientific and technological cooperation with Germany has been signed. Today, during a visit of the German delegation, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Oksen Lisovyi and German Federal Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger signed an Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of Germany on cooperation in the fields of science, technology, innovation and higher education.

Bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Germany will include:

• exchange of experts to implement joint scientific and technical programmes;
• participation in international projects, organisation of joint scientific conferences, seminars and symposia;
• creation and sharing of innovative structures;
• support of higher education programmes and development of partnerships between universities of both countries.

“Last year we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Ukrainian-German cooperation in science and technology. Today we have strengthened this cooperation by signing a new agreement. This is an important agreement for us, as we understand that science cannot develop separately, it develops in interaction and cooperation. We clearly understand that the restoration of Ukraine is impossible without technology, and technology, in turn, cannot exist without science,” said Oksen Lisovyi.

“russia’s brutal war of aggression is causing terrible suffering and destruction in Ukraine. It also has severe consequences for Ukrainian science. We stand by Ukraine and provide it with military, humanitarian and economic support. However, our efforts in wartime are also aimed at reconstruction. With the new agreement on cooperation in science and technology that we are signing today, we are deepening our cooperation with our Ukrainian partners in the field of science and research. Strengthening Ukraine’s innovation power is already strengthening the country for recovery and for a future in peace and freedom,” said Bettina Stark-Watzinger.

The visit also included a presentation of four German-Ukrainian Cores of Excellence, which were launched this year and are one of the key initiatives of scientific and technological cooperation between Ukraine and Germany.

The Cores of Excellence are four research centres where Ukrainian and German researchers will work together to develop cutting-edge technologies. They operate in Lviv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv and receive financial support from Germany in the amount of approximately EUR 10 million.

More about the centres:

• One of the centres of excellence in Lviv is working on the development of new antibacterial compounds that will be important for medicine and the fight against infectious diseases and will address the problem of antibiotic resistance;
• The other analyses the historical traumas of the twentieth century, studies important historical events aimed at understanding and analysing social change and the consequences of conflicts.
• In Kharkiv, the centre focuses on the application of plasma technologies in spintronics, which opens up new opportunities for the development of advanced electronic devices.
• In Kyiv, the centre focuses on the study of quantum materials and the development of high-tech solutions in the field of information technology and physics.

The signing of the Agreement is another important step in strengthening Ukrainian-German relations and developing the innovation potential of both countries.