Ukrainian scientists are changing the world — from fundamental mathematics to cell therapy and space technologies. But does the system create sufficient conditions for their discoveries to work for the country's economy?
Science is not only about fundamental knowledge. It is about the driving force of innovations that shape the future of industries. And it depends on the decisions of business and the state whether this potential is realized within the country or will work for other markets.
The paradox of potential: why Ukrainian innovations remain in the laboratory
Ukrainian science today is a story “not thanks to, but in spite of”. When it comes to working conditions, it is often not about comfort, but about the basic ability to create innovations: a shortage of modern equipment, a shortage of reagents, an outdated infrastructure. Excessive bureaucracy forces scientists to spend time on reporting instead of research.
The situation is complicated by a conflict of priorities. In the academic environment, success is measured by publications, in business - by the viability of the product and the speed of entry into the market. Due to the lack of systemic dialogue, science and the market often exist in parallel planes. The war only exacerbated these challenges - the outflow of personnel, reduction of funding, the rupture of international ties.
A powerful intellectual resource is concentrated within the walls of institutes, which often remains “ineffective capital” for the economy. This is the paradox of Ukrainian potential.
In a system where the result depends on personal enthusiasm, not institutional support, women face double barriers. In addition to common problems — the gap between science and the market or the lack of equipment — they balance their careers and social expectations. For many, the transition to business is not just a change of job, but a chance to turn an idea into a product — something that the state system does not yet provide effectively enough. Another fact is indicative: with each career stage, women disappear from the scientific vertical.
The Illusion of Equality: Why the Female Face of Science Does Not Become Its Voice
Ukrainian science has a pronounced female face. According to a study by INSCIENCE and the Cedos think tank, almost gender parity is maintained in the scientific community — about 50%.
However, the higher the level, the fewer women there are. While the balance is maintained at the initial and middle stages of an academic career, women make up only about 12% of professors and heads of scientific institutions.
The reasons are systemic. Combining scientific activity with childcare, lack of flexible schedules, and institutional support for motherhood. Often, a career break becomes a point from which it is difficult to return to the academic system.
Quotas can be a temporary tool, but not a solution to the problem. The key is to create equal conditions for access to resources, transparent opportunities, and change social norms. When the system — from a university laboratory to a private R&D center — guarantees equal access, women demonstrate professional results on a par with men.
How to reboot science: three levels of transformation
Systemic changes are possible only through restructuring the interaction in the triangle state - science - business.
At the state level:
stimulating investments in the renewal of the material and technical base;
attracting funding to university R&D centers;
the possibility of maintaining the status of a "young scientist" after maternity leave or service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
systematic work to overcome gender stereotypes.
At the institutional level:
flexible schedules and support for women with children;
transparent competitions for management positions;
digitalization of reporting and reduction of bureaucracy.
At the business and culture level:
creation of mentoring programs and direct dialogue between scientists and the market;
popularization of role models of women leaders in science.
Involving women in science is not only a matter of equality, but also of economic development. According to McKinsey, increasing the share of women in the technology sector to 45% could bring hundreds of billions of euros to the European economy. For Ukraine, where human capital is a key resource, this path is strategically important.
Ukrainian roots of innovation: five women who changed the world
Maryna Vyazovska
Solved the problem of the densest packing of spheres in 8- and 24-dimensional spaces - a problem that has been worked on for over 400 years. Became the second woman in history to be awarded the Fields Medal. Her formulas are used, in particular, to recognize errors in the signals of the Voyager spacecraft.
Svitlana Arbuzova
A geneticist who was the first to describe new mutations in the human genome and developed a method for calculating genetic risks. Her research changed the approach to prenatal diagnostics, allowing for more accurate detection of Down syndrome and other hereditary diseases.
Halyna Skybo
A neuromorphologist who was the first in Ukraine to begin cultivating nerve cells outside a living organism. Her work opened up new opportunities for cell therapy, pharmacology, and regenerative medicine.
Olga Perevozchykova
A cyberneticist who developed computational methods for controlling rocket and space complexes and laid the foundation for Ukraine's digital independence. Her developments are used in strategic areas, from defense systems to medicine and ecology.
Kateryna Yushchenko
Created the world's first addressable programming language, which allowed computers to work with memory independently. Her scientific school became the foundation of modern algorithms, from space programs to artificial intelligence technologies.
Ukrainian scientists prove that the country's potential lies in its people. The only question is whether we will create a system where their discoveries become not only publications, but also innovative products that shape a competitive economy.
