From healthcare innovation to energy reform, joint research between the UK and Ukraine is playing a vital role in Ukraine’s defence, its post-war recovery, and in advancing the UK’s own
long-term transformation agenda.
Later today, leaders from academia, business, and government will gather at the British Academy in London to celebrate the deepening scientific partnership between the two nations—and to chart a course for even greater collaboration.
This science and technology partnership is a core element of the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership, launched in January by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It represents a long-term commitment to mutual security, prosperity, and innovation.
Joint research powering progress and resilience
Ukrainian and British scientists are already working side by side on projects with real-world impact. A standout example in healthcare sees the University of Warwick collaborating with Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics to train artificial intelligence models that can swiftly and accurately triage shrapnel injuries—a crucial capability in wartime medicine.
In the energy sector, universities in Manchester, Aston, and Aberystwyth are partnering with Ukrainian experts to upgrade Ukraine’s power grid using renewable energy technologies. These advancements are also informing the UK’s efforts to modernize its own grid as it transitions to cleaner energy sources, especially as energy demands rise in sectors such as data centres.
TechBridge: innovation for recovery and growth
The UK-Ukraine TechBridge initiative is another key avenue of cooperation, supporting joint ventures in fields like AI, cybersecurity, healthtech, education, and agritech. It’s also being used to develop and deploy technology for clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance—a critical task in Ukraine’s recovery.
At today’s event, UK Science Minister Lord Vallance and Ukraine’s Deputy Minister for Education and Science will showcase these achievements and announce new investments. This includes £100,000 in additional funding for the TechBridge, and a further £400,000 for a trilateral initiative between the UK, Ukraine, and Estonia aimed at using digital technologies to improve governance.
Standing together for science and freedom
UK Science Minister Lord Vallance said:
“Freedom is an essential ingredient for scientific progress. Without it we are denied the ability to act on the curiosity that sparks so many breakthroughs, or to get the answers that make us think that maybe we have been wrong about the way we have thought about something in the past.
Science is also international, which means that Ukraine’s inventions and innovations are ones that the UK and the entire world ultimately benefits from, and vice versa. We only stand to gain from working with Ukraine to keep the flame of freedom alive, and it is only natural, that the joint endeavours of our researchers, are critical to those efforts”.
Ukraine’s Minister for Education and Science, Oksen Lisovyi, said:
“For Ukraine, science is not only about development — it is also about resistance. Today, our researchers are working side by side with international partners not only to support the country in its most difficult times, but also to lay the foundations for recovery. This collaboration is a mutual investment in freedom, humanity, and the future. We are grateful to the United Kingdom for a partnership built on shared values and trust”.
Supporting researchers at risk
The UK-Ukraine partnership has already delivered tangible support for Ukrainian academics. Since 2022, the Researchers at Risk programme—run by the British Academy, CARA, and the UK’s national academies—has enabled more than 170 Ukrainian researchers to continue their work at nearly 70 UK universities, backed by £22.5 million in funding.
Additionally, the UK-Ukraine Twinning Initiative has connected universities in both countries, allowing Ukrainian institutions to access UK research facilities and pursue joint funding opportunities. This includes £5 million from Research England to support new collaborations.
Looking Ahead
As Ukraine continues to resist Russian aggression, the scientific bond with the UK is not only helping it endure the present—but also build a resilient, innovative future. In turn, the UK gains vital insights and technologies that contribute to its own national progress under the Plan for Change.
Today’s event marks a celebration of what science can achieve when it is underpinned by shared values, mutual respect, and a joint commitment to freedom. Photo by Doyle of London, Wikimedia commons.