Triggered on February 24, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia seems to continue, despite the pressure exerted and the sanctions imposed by Western countries. At the beginning of May, the UN estimated that nearly 6 million Ukrainians had found refuge outside their country and that 8 million had moved within the borders, out of 43 million of inhabitants. Added to this displacement of populations made up mainly of women and children is the horror of war, with thousands of soldiers and civilians killed, injured and traumatized. It is our duty to help them!
Express our solidarity
An international solidarity movement quickly began, in which Canada and Quebec are taking part, in particular by welcoming Ukrainian men and women. In addition, nearly 7,000 Russian scientists expressed their disagreement with President Putin’s decision in an open letter. The Ukrainian and Russian scientific and student communities are suffering the effects of the war, both inside and outside their respective countries.
After expressing our solidarity with the Ukrainian and Russian student and research communities from the very beginning, the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) that I head announced financial support for the next generation of Ukrainian and Russian students (students, postdocs and scientists). FRQ scholarship holder who is already in Quebec and who is weakened by the conflict.
The extension of support offered to those whose funding expires in the coming year will allow them to continue their training and work; moreover, depending on the circumstances, they may reconsider their plan to return to their country or elsewhere, or decide to stay here. Although this decision is above all intended to be humanitarian, this new generation of researchers who have chosen Quebec as a place of study and research also represents potential diplomatic ties. Diplomacy is preparing for the long term.
A host country for science
To the economic, financial and other sanctions imposed on Russia were added those which put an end to institutional scientific cooperation at a time when, paradoxically, scientific diplomacy could play a role in terms of rapprochement. Beyond the institutions, the links between the members of the scientific communities of all countries and all States must be maintained, without exception.
The FRQ promote the values of collaboration, openness and scientific diplomacy, which can contribute to bilateral or multilateral relations. It is therefore important that they participate in the implementation of measures to develop scientific ties in Quebec by welcoming Ukrainian and Russian students and scientists.
With this in mind, the FRQ, in collaboration with the host universities, offer the Ukrainian and Russian student population the possibility of undertaking a graduate study program or doing a research internship in a Quebec university. In addition, with their university partners, they are in the process of developing a program aimed at welcoming career researchers, by facilitating their access to the higher education network. These people will be recruited for a period of at least three years, which will allow them to continue their work and train the next generation in a safer environment.
In a medium-term perspective, the FRQ and their university partners are exploring the possibility of creating a host program that will take the form of scientific missions for researchers from Ukrainian and Russian universities around themes common to those of Quebec teams.
These measures will allow members of the Ukrainian and Russian scientific and student communities to remain active under better conditions and to maintain their collaborative networks. These measures have been implemented across Quebec, but the multiplication of this type of initiative by countries and states on all continents could help maintain Ukrainian and Russian scientific networks whose expertise will be important at the end of the conflict.
A tool of diplomacy
As President of the International Network in Government Science Advice (INGSA), which has 5,000 members in 130 countries, I have stressed the importance of maintaining international scientific networks, despite the tragic situation in Ukraine for the population, scientists and their family. Above all, I called on international organizations and funding agencies to take concrete action to support members of the Ukrainian research ecosystem.
Scientists fleeing their country should benefit from a sense of personal and professional well-being that allows them to continue their work and maintain their national and international networks. If the bridges are broken on the institutional level, they must be kept active on the level of the scientific communities.
We are convinced that, if war closes borders, science can reopen them. As a non-governmental organization, INGSA’s philosophy is to convey best practices in scientific advice to governments, in order to overcome the differences that may divide us, and to promote open and collaborative science.
The ties that we can maintain with the Ukrainian and Russian scientific communities will be beneficial for them first and foremost and for meeting other planetary challenges, such as climate change, natural disasters, risks of pandemics and epidemics, human and digital security. More than ever, we must ensure that international scientific cooperation and the innovation that results from it contribute to the maintenance of democracy and human progress.