Conference: “International Research Cooperation – with Ukraine and for Ukraine”

09:30–10:00 Registration and Welcome Coffee (on site)
10:00–10:05  Opening of the Conference
Moderator: Mykhailo Hrebeniuk, Head of the Liaison Office Ukraine in Brussels

Session I: Joint Contributions to a Stronger European Research Area – Funding Instruments and Capacity Building

10:05–10:30 Welcome Address: Overview of Estonia’s Research Cooperation with Ukraine.
Anu Noorma, Director General, Estonian Research Council
10:30–10:55 Keynote Speech: Science in Ukraine Today – Needs, Challenges and Pathways to Resilience.
Olga Polotska, Executive Director, National Research Foundation of Ukraine
10:55–11:15 The EU’s Support for Ukraine’s Integration into the ERA: Goals, Actions and the Role of the Coalition.
Elis Paemurd, Deputy Head of Representation, Head of Media and Communication, European Commission Representation in Estonia
11:15–11:35 Nordic-Baltic Contributions to Ukraine’s Scientific Resilience.
Kristin Andersen, Chief Operating Officer, NordForsk
11:35–11:40 Wrap-up – Moderator
11:40–12:40 Lunch

Session II: New Pathways to Closer Cooperation with Ukraine – Initiatives by Estonian Universities

12:40–12:45 Introduction – Moderator
12:45–13:05 Ukraine’s International Research Cooperation: Integration into the European Research Area and Building New Consortia.
Igor Taranov, Head of the HEU Office in Ukraine, National Research Foundation of Ukraine
13:05–13:25 Case Study: ESTDEV and Governance Cooperation – Digital Democracy and Smart Governance in the Dnipro Region.
Kristiina Tõnnisson, Head of the Johan Skytte Institute, University of Tartu
13:25–13:45 The University of Tartu Ukraine Centre: Building Bridges for Scientific Cooperation and Academic Resilience.
Dmytro Khutkyy, Head of the University of Tartu Ukraine Centre; Research Fellow in Digital Governance, University of Tartu
13:45–14:05 Strengthening International Research Cooperation: The Role of Research Managers and Grant Support.
Viktoriia Biliaieva, Head of Grant Writing Unit, Grant Office, University of Tartu
14:05–14:25 Between Two Systems: Perspectives on Estonian–Ukrainian Academic Collaboration.
Kateryna Lobanova, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance, TalTech
14:25–14:30 Wrap-up – Moderator
14:30–14:50 Coffee Break (on site)

Session III: Creating Impactful Partnerships to Address Ukraine’s R&D Needs

14:50–14:55 Introduction – Moderator
14:55–15:35 Impress-U Project Showcase:

• Hardware-Efficient Realization of UA Cryptographic Standards.  Levent Aksoy, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Computer Systems, TalTech
• Exploratory Research in Robust Machine Learning for Object Detection and Classification.
  Mairo Leier, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Computer Systems, TalTech
• Groundwater Resilience Assessment through Integrated Data Exploration for Ukraine (GRANDE-U).
  Argo Jõeleht, Associate Professor, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu
• Adaptive Infrastructure Recovery from Repeated Shocks through Resilience Stress Testing in Ukraine.
  Andrei Blinov, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics, TalTech 

15:35–15:55 NordForsk Project Showcase:

• Promoting Access to Health Services through Participatory Approach: E-Health Intervention to Promote Good Health Seeking (PATHS).
  Anneli Uusküla, Professor, Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of Tartu
• Linguistic Integration of Refugee Children and their Families (LINC).
  Reili Argus, Professor, School of Humanities, Tallinn University  

Panel Discussion: Key Issues and Opportunities for Closer Research Collaboration with Ukraine

16:00–16:55
Moderator: Mykhailo Hrebeniuk, Head of the Liaison Office Ukraine in Brussels
Panellists:

• Anu Noorma, Director General, ETAG
• Kristin Andersen, Chief Operating Officer, NordForsk 
• Igor Taranov, Head of the HEU Office in Ukraine, NRFU
• Gert Jervan, Professor, Dean, School of IT, TalTech
• Marharyta Domnich, Junior Research Fellow of Computational Neuroscience, University of Tartu

16:55–17:00 Wrap-up and Closing of the Conference – Moderator
17:00–18:00 Reception and Networking (on site)