Vaughan Turekian: Science and Innovation: The Bridge to the Future for Ukraine

Vaughan Turekian, Executive Director of Policy and Global Affairs at The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, recently posted on LinkedIn:

“After spending two exciting days in Zurich with a group of global leaders from Europe and the United States discussing science and innovation in Ukraine, I come away optimistic and motivated. Co-organized by ETH Zürich, the Simons Foundation, and The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the group included experts in science, science policy, technology, commercialization and innovation from the United States, Europe, and Ukraine, including an amazing group of venture capitalists, tech executives and representatives from Silicon Valley start-ups. The meeting underscored the pivotal role of science and technology in Ukraine’s recovery but also illuminated the path towards establishing a vibrant, interconnected science and innovation and commercialization community within the nation. The collective sentiment was that Ukraine has the potential to emerge as a beacon of scientific prowess and innovation on the global stage which needs to be supported now during the toughest days so it can emerge when this war ends and an armistice is reached. A retired U.S. General with long-standing engagement in Eastern Europe, acknowledging the near-term challenges ahead, shared his view that by 2034 Ukraine will resemble the economic and political conditions that are seen in Poland today. Throughout the conference, speakers and attendees alike emphasized the crucial link between science, innovation, and economic and national resilience. As Ukraine charts its path towards recovery, leveraging its scientific and technological capabilities emerges as a linchpin for sustainable growth and development. During the conference, we presented a vision for and international science and innovation fund for Ukraine, which already has strong commitments from. There was discussion of the importance of Ukraine pre-committing budget allocations to fund science, research and education when the war comes to a close and their are the starting efforts toward a possible peace dividend. Such acceleration of post-conflict funding of civilian science helped propel U.S. economic growth and national security as articulated in Vannevar Bush’s “Science, the Endless Frontier”
We discussed the importance of international efforts to maintain, promote and support international standards, quality control and transparency. We were pleased to hear that the ongoing engagement is helping to make sure that science issues are being discussed as part of the Ukraine recovery conference in June in Berlin.
At The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, we are proud to work with such amazing partners around the world, but especially in Ukraine, to do our small part to keep science at the forefront of the nation’s present and future. We have built numerous programs to support individual scientists as well as Ukrainian research teams, while also convening experts to help develop approaches to science policy and investments in the country. We view this as part of our long history and engagement in promoting science diplomacy as one of the critical ways to address some of the greatest challenges that society faces.”

Source: Vaughan Turekian/LinkedIn