JOIN US IN BERLIN
Presentation of the SCIENCE AT RISK Monitoring Report 2026 on Ukraine
Academia in Ukraine: Capacities and Constraints During Wartime
Friday, 13 November 2026, 5:00 p.m.
Einstein-Saal, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW)
Jägerstraße 22, 10117 Berlin

Dear Colleagues,
In the fifth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian scholars keep teaching and
researching through air-raid alerts, power cuts and the repeated relocation of their
universities. But what does it take to sustain a science system under these conditions, and
what does it cost the people who carry it?
The Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW) and the SCIENCE
AT RISK Emergency Office invite you to the launch of the SCIENCE AT RISK Monitoring
Report 2026 on Ukraine, followed by an expert panel discussion and a reception. The full
report will be published on the day of the event.

What the report reveals
Based on an online survey of 1,700 academics, the report traces how scholars’ needs
and challenges have changed since 2022:
Financial support remains the most urgent need.
More than half of respondents report feeling depressed, a level that has stayed high
for two years.
Professional isolation persists. At the same time, educators keep developing new
teaching formats and stay in touch with students scattered across Ukraine and
abroad.
New this year: a close look at relocated universities and at the choice many
academics face between following their institution and staying behind.
The report also places these experiences in a wider context. It covers the Soviet legacy,
the changes since 2014 and the profound transformation of Ukraine’s academic
landscape under martial law. It also highlights the initiatives that keep Ukrainian science
going.
Beyond destroyed buildings
After the presentation, two Ukrainian researchers will discuss the long-term consequences
of the war for Ukraine’s science and higher education. Emigration, displacement and
scholars leaving academia, combined with demographic decline, could weaken the
country’s research and education capacity for decades. The panel will also turn to the less
visible effects: shrinking academic freedom, international isolation and the strain on the
mental health of school and university staff. Finally, the panellists will ask what all this
means for Ukraine’s recovery and European integration, and how international partners
can best support Ukrainian academia in the years ahead.
We would be delighted to welcome you. Please stay for drinks and conversation
afterwards, and feel free to share this invitation with interested colleagues.

AGENDA
4:45 p.m. – Arrival and registration
5:00 p.m. – Welcome
Oleksandr Zabirko, University of Regensburg | Young Network TransEurope, for the
BBAW
Philipp Christoph Schmädeke, Director, SCIENCE AT RISK Emergency Office by akno
e.V.
5:25 p.m. – Presentation of the Monitoring Report 2026: key findings
5:45 p.m. – Panel discussion: What the findings mean, and ways forward
Natalia Tsybuliak, Associate Professor, Berdyansk State Pedagogical University
Grygoriy Ryi, Researcher, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University
6:15 p.m. – Discussion with the audience
6:45 p.m. – Reception with drinks and light snacks

The event will be held in English.
Reception with drinks and light snacks
The event will be held in English.

Registration
With kind regards,
Dr. Philipp Christoph Schmädeke
Director, SCIENCE AT RISK Emergency Office