New Law on Science in Ukraine: A chance for a change
It is no secret that for many years there was no state strategy in Ukraine in the field of science. Various politicians announced various "national priority programs", but they remained just declarations due to the lack of understanding the problem by policymakers, lack of political will, chronic underfunding, and corruption. Proliferation of corruption, most pronounced in pedagogical and social sciences, has led to drastic image losses for all science activities. The public opinion about scientists is currently as low as the public opinion on politicians. As a most alarming sign, several state leaders have openly expressed their opinion that "Ukraine can't afford any fundamental science". In such a situation, science in Ukraine is faced with an alternative: reform itself or perish, and time is certainly not on its side.
The new Law of Ukraine “On Scientific and Technical Activity” was enacted on January 16, 2016. One of the most important innovations of this document is the establishment of a permanent advisory body, the National Council of Ukraine on Science and Technology under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the main purpose of which is to ensure an effective interaction between representatives of the scientific community, governmental agencies, and industry, to help develop and implement the state policy in the field of science and technology. The National Council of Ukraine on Science and Technology will consist of two parts: the Scientific and Administrative Committees.
The Scientific Committee will include 24 leading scholars who represent the entire scientific community of Ukraine, and the Administrative Committee is formed of 24 representatives of the central executive bodies (the minimal level of representation – deputy Ministers), the National Academy of Science of Ukraine as well as National specialized academies (the minimal level of representation – the vicepresidents), oblast (city) state administrations of the regions with considerable scientific potential (their level of representation will not be lower than deputy heads of the state administrations), the state executive bodies responsible for science policy, large hightech enterprises, scientific institutions, universities, academies, institutes and innovative structures.
In accordance with the Law, the members of the Scientific Committee will be appointed by the Identification Committee on Science, members of which will be chosen through the open competitive procedure among the domestic and foreign scholars who have significant scientific achievements, impeccable reputation and credibility in the scientific community.