The Academy in Times of Challenges: Five-Year Results

Report of the President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Academician Anatoly ZAGORODNY, at the session of the General Meeting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, October 6, 2025

Abstract

The report emphasizes that over the five latest years researchers of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Ukraine have produced results with theoretical and practical significance. Research priorities have pivoted to cooperation with the government and defense sector, with focus on artificial intelligence, quantum technology, social resilience, and challenges of war. The report contains details on research results of the NAS of Ukraine in mathematics, informatics, mechanics, physics and astronomy, Earth sciences, material sciences, power engineering, chemistry, biochemistry, social sciences and humanities. Examples of R&D support to strategic industries of Ukraine, provided by NAS institutions, are given. The large-scaled war became a turning point, as the domestic science system was expected to produce not only knowledge, but prompt practical solutions for the front. The NAS of Ukraine could face this challenge by refocusing a large part of R&D to defense needs. Thematic fields of defense R&D in the NAS of Ukraine are given. The financing of defense R&D was substantially enhanced, with the financing of a target program for developing defense-related technologies increased by nearly twice over the latest years. Yet, the NAS of Ukraine has remain an integral part of the global research areas, with its teams involved in top-class international projects. Also, the NAS of Ukraine has undergone significant organizational change: it revised the Statute, introduced new approaches to the performance evaluation of its research institutions, improved funding schemes, enhanced expert activities and interactions with the government, created the Science and Technology Council. Prioritized areas of the NAS effort remain to be modernization of infrastructures, support to young researchers, integration of R&D and education, development of internal innovation facilities.