Science for Ukraine – volunteers wanted

#ScienceForUkraine (S4U) is an international initiative of volunteers from higher education institutions across Europe and the world. Its mission is to connect Ukrainian scientists and students with research centres around the world so that they can continue their education or research work.

It took only a couple of days since the brutal Russian aggression in Ukraine to launch the website. It contains information on scholarships and job offers for Ukrainian researchers (you can search relevant information by country, discipline, and form of support). The initiative is constantly growing with every new opportunity published and the increasing number of requests made by Ukrainian students and scholars.

What is S4U currently doing?

• It connects scientists from Ukraine, who had already left or want to leave the country, with academic centres in Poland. To carry this task through, the organisation needs people to answer the applications coming from Ukrainian researchers and those willing to assist them in the very process of preparing and applying.
• It develops a mentoring programme for scholars who remain in Ukraine. The S4U organisation is currently working to facilitate online participation in research team meetings in Poland for Ukrainians, enabling them to form and broaden connections right away. This form of cooperation will internationalise their experience and make it easier for them to apply for grants and scholarships abroad. Many scientists already have contacts in Ukraine or know Polish scholars who would be willing to participate in the programme – the task is simply to reach them with the information.
• It co-creates a website with support offers for Ukrainian scientists.
   

What will the volunteers do?

• Answering questions and applications from Ukrainian scholars related to their research and professional work in Poland. Taking over even a single contact will be a huge support for the S4U team. The most important things are stability and readiness to cooperate with the team – even if the scope is limited, consistency is paramount.
• Recruiting mentors and research teams for the newly developed mentoring programme for people from Ukraine.
• Expanding the contact base in Ukraine to relay information more efficiently.
• Preparing and distributing information on S4U activities among institutions, universities, media, and other potentially significant recipients.
   

Currently, the Polish team is made up of 8 people, but its members wish to expand it to consist at least 10 times more. Moreover, the scientists want to have people from different disciplines in the group.

Science for Ukraine is not only an interim support – the initiative’s members plan long-term actions. The organisation invites everyone interested to co-create and develop the project.

In the first days of April, the team will organise a meeting during which the most immediate activities will be discussed.

Contact: scienceforukraine.poland(at)gmail.com