RIFF Thematic Summit in Krakow as a platform for dialogue on the future of research infrastructures in Ukraine
On May 19–20, 2026, the leading specialist of the National Contact Point «Research Infrastructures» at Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic University, Myroslava Shchedynyna, took part in the Thematic Summit of the RIFF project – «Research Infrastructures for the Future of Ukraine: Roadmap for Sustained Growth and Recovery», which took place in the city Krakow (Poland).
The event was held on the basis of the SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Center — one of the most modern research complexes in Europe, which functions as part of the Jagiellonian University. The summit was devoted to issues of development of research infrastructures for the future of Ukraine, strengthening of international scientific cooperation and restoration of the state’s scientific and research potential. The summit brought together representatives of scientific institutions, specialized experts and international partners around a common vision of the sustainable development of science as an inseparable component of Ukraine’s post-war recovery.
The summit program was structured in accordance with the scientific directions of ESFRI (European Strategic Forum on Research Infrastructures). This year’s event focused on 3 key domains: Energy (ENE), Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) and Physical Sciences and Engineering (PSE). The opening of the summit was accompanied by a welcome speech by the director of the SOLARIS center Jakub Shlahetka, a presentation of the RIFF project by the coordinator Ondrzej Gradil (Masaryk University) and a report by Michal Mlynarczyk (SOLARIS center) about the ecosystem of research infrastructures in Europe. After the plenary opening, the work continued in parallel thematic sections. The interactive format combined reports of the heads of leading research infrastructures with panel discussions on current challenges and provided an in-depth study of the issues of integration of Ukrainian research infrastructures into the European Research Area (ERA).
During the summit, special attention was paid to the «Road map for the restoration and development of the research infrastructure of Ukraine» – a key result of the RIFF project, designed to serve as a strategic reference point for national funding and a reliable coordination tool for international donors. The RIFF project is financed by the EU framework program «Horizon Europe» and coordinated by Masaryk University (Czech Republic) with the participation of a wide consortium of European and Ukrainian partners, in particular four scientific institutions and organizations of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
The RIFF summit became an important platform for presenting the scientific potential of Ukraine, working out ways of integration with ESFRI research infrastructures and establishing new international partnerships — both for the development of scientific research potential and for the sustainable recovery of the country. The results of the summit will have a direct impact on the formation of national priorities in the RIFF Roadmap, and therefore on the prospects for the development of the Ukrainian scientific infrastructure as a whole.
Experience gained during the summit, established contacts with leading European research organizations and in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of formation of the «RIFF Road Map» open a real perspective for Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University to enter this strategic document. The inclusion of the university in the Roadmap of research infrastructures of Ukraine will mean official recognition of its scientific potential at the level of the European Research Area, access to international funding and the opportunity to become a full member of pan-European research consortia. For a university located in a region directly affected by the war, this is not only a scientific ambition – it is a strategic tool for recovery and development, able to attract international resources, retain research personnel and lay the foundation for the post-war revival of the region through science and innovation!
