Following the decision of the Expert Commission adopted on 9 October 2026, which approved the first-round applicants for scholarships under Ukraine’s National Researcher System (NRS) for whom no concerns had been identified regarding potential violations of the applicable Procedure and Methodology, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine is proceeding to the next stage of the selection process.

To verify the official information provided by applicants for NRS state scholarships, higher education institutions, research institutions and other organisations must submit the required information about their employees by 16 October 2026. This includes their primary place of employment, position, presence in Ukraine, receipt of other state scholarships, willingness to designate one scholarship as their priority, and other relevant details.

To complete the verification process, organisations must fill in the table provided with the Ministry’s letter dated 13 October 2026, No. 1/22286-26, concerning employees who have been granted applicant status. The information must be submitted with the signatures of the head of the organisation and the head of its human resources department or another department with the relevant authority.

In particular, organisations must confirm:

• that the applicant holds a current research or academic staff position at their primary place of employment as of 12 October 2026;
• the organisational unit in which the applicant works;
• information on the applicant’s stays abroad during the 12 months preceding the submission of information to the NRS, as well as their willingness to remain in Ukraine while receiving the scholarship, which is one of the mandatory eligibility requirements;
• whether the applicant receives any scholarships awarded by the President of Ukraine or the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, including the dates on which such payments are due to end;
• the applicant’s willingness to designate one of the scholarships as their priority in accordance with the prescribed procedures.

The table must be completed in accordance with the explanatory notes provided in the annex to the Ministry’s letter. Regarding the receipt of other state scholarships and the procedures for terminating such payments, organisations should follow the official letter from the Ministry and the relevant procedures attached to it.

To organise scholarship payments, higher education institutions and research institutions must be included in the Ministry of Education and Science’s network of budget fund managers and recipients. The required steps are outlined in the Ministry’s letter. Information on the procedure for concluding agreements with other legal entities will be provided separately.

Applicant status does not automatically guarantee the award of a scholarship. Once the required official information has been received from the institutions and all prescribed procedures have been completed, the Ministry will prepare the relevant order awarding state scholarships under the first round of the National Researcher System.

Participants whose applications are subject to further review by the Expert Commission following submissions from external applicants or members of the Commission (see the updated dashboard) may receive information on their eligibility to be considered for a scholarship after the Commission has reviewed these submissions in accordance with the established procedure.

The implementation of the National Researcher System has been made possible, among other things, through expert and analytical support provided under the joint project of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the World Bank, “Improving Higher Education in Ukraine for Results” (UIHERP).

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