Human Capital of the Ukrainian Science System in Wartime: Systemic Transformation and Resilience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15407/sofs2026.02.075Keywords:
scienceresearch system of Ukraine, human capital of R&D, R&D activity, resilience, academic diaspora, academic migration, brain drain, brain circulation.Abstract
The Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has caused a transformation of the human capital of R&D in Ukraine, which has become a serious challenge for the country’s post-war recovery. The human capital as the core of the national intellectual potential is formed over decades and requires significant investment, so its loss due to forced migration, reduced research activity, destruction of research institutions, and the death of researchers threatens Ukraine’s long-term capacity for innovation-driven development. The article reveals the scales and consequences of the impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on human resources in R&D, the resilience of the domestic science system, and the opportunities to transform the phenomenon of brain drain into brain circulation. The methodology is based on a combination of quantitative (comparative-historical and statistical analysis, econometric modelling) and qualitative methods (analysis of sociological survey data). The source base includes official statistics from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, UNESCO reports, data from four independent surveys of domestic researchers, etc. The results confirm the dual nature of the transformation of human resources in R&D. The destructive aspect shows in the mass migration of researchers, especially the most productive ones, the declining R&D activity and the worsening working conditions, while the transformational aspect shows in the rise of a new wave of Ukrainian scientific diaspora integrated into European research networks. The war has had an uneven impact across the fields of science, but some migrant researchers have maintained professional ties with Ukrainian institutions, thus creating the potential for transforming the migration crisis into a mechanism for brain circulation. Ukraine’s science system has demonstrated resilience to the shock caused by Russian aggression, but it needs a targeted state policy to support human capital through cooperation with the diaspora, increased R&D funding, and the creation of reintegration mechanisms to transform the migration crisis into an instrument of international integration.
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