On 4–5 June 2026, the National Forum on Open Science and the Improvement of Research Assessment was held in a hybrid format at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. The event summarized the results of the three-year Erasmus+ international project Open4UA, aimed at the systematic implementation of open science in Ukraine.

The Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Denys Kurbatov, presented the key outcomes of the reform implemented by the Ministry of Education and Science team since 2022.

State research evaluation. Recommendations from Open4UA were incorporated into the updated Methodology for State Research Assessment. During 2025–2026, 456 institutions (317 research institutions and 139 higher education institutions) successfully underwent evaluation under the new rules, which take into account open-access publications and FAIR data principles.

Formula-based funding. Based on the assessment results, the research sector received over UAH 3 billion in additional baseline funding in 2026 for the first time. As a result of the reforms, the overall science budget in Ukraine increased by more than 40%.

Tools for higher education institutions. Institutional instruments have been developed, including model policies and data management plan templates, which have been successfully piloted at Berdyansk State Pedagogical University, Mariupol State University, and Ternopil National Medical University. The development of the professional standard “Research Data Management Specialist” is also nearing completion.

Coordination Council. On 5 June, within the Forum, the inaugural meeting of the newly established Coordination Council on Open Science under the Ministry of Education and Science took place. The Council will coordinate efforts among various institutions in implementing open science policy in Ukraine.

One of the key strategic outcomes of the project was the development of an EU-integration draft Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts on the Implementation of Open Science Principles.” This document is intended to replace outdated regulations and align Ukraine’s legal framework with the principles of the European Research Area. The draft law provides for the legal establishment of mandatory open access to research results funded from the state budget, the introduction of clear requirements for storing FAIR data in repositories, as well as the definition of criteria for trusted repositories. The document is currently undergoing final approvals for submission to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Work on the reform will continue: starting from 1 November 2026, the next stage of the Open4UA initiative will be the new Erasmus+ project ADMIRE, coordinated by the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia).

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