Recently, a round table side event took place at Copenhagen Business School as part of the 2nd European Conference on Science Diplomacy, focusing on the theme "Ukraine – From Threat to Empowerment: How Science in Distress Can Drive Innovation and Strengthen Science Diplomacy."
Alexandra Antoniouk, Ph.D., Dr.Habil, Head of the Scientific Committee of the National Council of Ukraine on Science and Technology Development, as well as the Dean of the EPAM School of Digital Technologies at AUK, was one of the speakers at the event.
The event conveyed an important message: scientific diplomacy has transcended academic discussions and become a matter of national security and geopolitical relevance. In the face of the existential threat posed by russia's aggressive war, the Ukrainian scientific community has demonstrated incredible resilience and innovative potential since 2022. Researchers in Ukraine are facing dual challenges: continuing their work amid ongoing attacks while supporting both the scientific community and society.
For Europe, the war in Ukraine highlights the need to rethink scientific diplomacy and implement new approaches and goals for fostering connections and mutual understanding. During the discussions, several important questions arose:
▪️ Can other countries learn from researchers at risk and science in crisis to develop new approaches to science diplomacy?
▪️ How can science diplomacy become an effective tool for promoting scientific interests as well as national, European, and global goals?
▪️ How can science safeguard its independence, and why is this independence particularly valuable for politics and diplomacy?
Other speakers included:
▪️ Mateusz Bialas, Director of Polish Academy of Sciences Representative Office in Kyiv
▪️ Lucian Brujan, Senior Expert International Relations, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
▪️ Dr. Oksana Ilniar-Vusyk, President of the Ukrainian Science Diaspora in Austria, Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna
▪️ Sergiy Lukanyuk, Head of International Office, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University
▪️ Dr. Vitaliy Suprun, Ukrainian Postdoc researcher on Science Diplomacy
The event was moderated by Benedikt Brisch, DAAD/KIWi, Head of the Knowledge Exchange and Networks Department at the DAAD German Academic Exchange Service.
Organizing team: Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU 2025, European Commission, DAAD/KIWi, Copenhagen Business School, Royal Danish Academy, and EU Science Diplomacy Alliance.
Dnipro
