At the Institute, there are two fundamental principles that the young scientists of the Institute love and follow.
RESEARCH OF THE PROBLEMS OF MOBILITY OF YOUNG SCIENTISTS OF NAS OF UKRAINE AND IT SPECIALISTS (Approved by the Order of the Presidium of the NAS of Ukraine dated 26 June 2019 No. 385, Agreement dated 1 July 2019 No. 102-15/03-2019)
Scientific Supervisor: Zhabin S.O., Candidate of Historical Sciences, Doctor of Sciences candidate at the Institute
Deadlines: 3rd quarter 2019 – 4th quarter 2020
Aim of the study – a study of horizontal mobility, intellectual emigration and academic mobility among young researchers in Ukraine’s IT sector; opportunities for cooperation with researchers and specialists who have emigrated; and recommendations for relevant public policy.
Assessment of scientific and technical level: has no analogues in Ukraine.
Annotated report on the results of the implementation of the topic.
A survey of young scientists of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine was conducted through the distribution of electronic questionnaires for anonymous respondents. A total of 383 young scientists from 14 departments and 3 institutions under the Presidium of the NAS of Ukraine were surveyed. The scientific and methodological tools for researching migration intentions were improved within the framework of the annual electronic monitoring of the socio-economic status of young scientists of the NAS of Ukraine and young lecturers at higher educational institutions. A scientific and methodological tool for online electronic surveys of IT specialists in Ukraine on their socio-economic status, professional indicators and migration intentions, taking into account the phenomenon of 'body shopping', was developed. Analytical and reference materials were submitted to the Presidium of the NAS of Ukraine.
The most important scientific results obtained:
- A series of anonymous interviews and discussions with people in Ukraine’s IT sector—both younger staff (junior) and middle-aged staff (senior and project managers)—and an Institute of Cybernetics employee with links to the IT industry since the late 1980s indicated that the sector and individual employees do not see academy-based research, particularly the Cybernetics Centre of the NAS of Ukraine, as an equal partner. This is linked to substantial pay differentials—the account notes that even junior staff do not disclose their earnings in conversation, or register as sole proprietors to avoid labour legislation—and to an orientation towards the global market.
- It has been established that official higher education (diplomas of leading universities) in the IT field is gradually losing credibility among private IT companies in Ukraine, which organize their own training courses. In the IT industry, updating curricula every year is of great importance, universities usually do not have sufficient efficiency and flexibility, surveys of past projects showed complaints from young teachers about the bureaucratic nature of the educational process. Due to the difficult socio-economic situation in Ukraine and the orientation of Ukrainian IT companies to foreign orders, the phenomenon of “body shopping” is spreading – recruitment by consulting companies of IT workers for the implementation of short-term contracts with travel abroad, and even resale of contracts, which mostly creates dependence of employees, not even on the policies of other states, but on private companies, which significantly limits the labor rights of employees.
RESEARCH OF THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS ON THE PROCESS OF POPULARIZATION OF SCIENCE IN UKRAINE (Approved by the Order of the Presidium of the NAS of Ukraine dated 26 June 2019 No. 385, Agreement dated 1 July 2019 No. 101-15/01-2019)
Scientific Supervisor: Petrenko N.S., Candidate of Economic Sciences, Junior Researcher of Department No. 6.
Deadlines: 3rd quarter 2019 – 4th quarter 2020
Aim of the study – developing effective economic and institutional mechanisms, together with organisational and information support, for productive cooperation among researchers, journalists and audiences. The priorities are to restore links between these groups; create Ukrainian popular science media and develop their concepts; address challenges in science journalism; and improve Ukraine’s competitiveness in science communication.
Assessment of scientific and technical level: has no analogues in Ukraine.
Annotated report on the results of the implementation of the topic.
A research and methodological toolkit was developed to study how socioeconomic factors influence science communication in Ukraine. It was used to analyse Ukraine’s experience and challenges in communicating science as the country integrates into the European Research Area. The study highlighted the role of new information technologies and the Internet in creating new tools and formats for communicating scientific knowledge.
The most important scientific results obtained:
The project ‘The influence of socioeconomic factors on science communication in Ukraine’ examines open science as a tool for communicating science. One element is open access, which helps bring science to wider audiences by disseminating research information. Open access can raise awareness of science and new technologies while encouraging people to study and apply science. In Ukraine, a key step and foundation for this work is to ‘break down the walls’ around research databases and scientific information, particularly journals, and make them more accessible. Open access supports the democratisation and communication of science by removing barriers between science and society, enabling both communities to benefit from the production of knowledge. Science communicators can therefore publish in open-access journals. Open access also plays an important role in a new strategy for legitimising the fundamental values and ideas conveyed by scientific information.
The relevance of the study of this issue is confirmed by the interest of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine in its disclosure. The NAS of Ukraine received a letter from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated 7 April 2020 No. 1/9-196 regarding the assessment of the level of awareness of the scientific community of Ukraine with the paradigm of "Open Science", which is one of the trends and the next step in the development of the European Research Area. Therefore, it is important that young scientists of the Institute are working on this issue.
A study of the social factors influencing science communication in Ukraine found growing demand for informal education: public lectures, meetings with leading inventors and researchers in informal spaces, discussion forums, interactive play areas, and similar formats. Other increasingly popular formats include science cafés, science quests, ‘science city’ activities and storytelling. Annual competitions for the best story offer winners a Wellcome Trust prize or the Max Perutz Award. An analysis of social networks (Facebook, Instagram and YouTube) showed that online spaces were taking over most communication processes and becoming the most promising platform for communicating scientific knowledge. Modern media support the development of popular science resources, with new formats combining text, audio and visual material to explain complex ideas clearly and accessibly. Digital media broaden audiences for popular science content and enable users to help create it. Social networks can also involve business in science communication, thereby connecting the research, education, industrial and government sectors.
Scientific and methodological support for developing principles, algorithms, and information and communication technologies to design and implement problem-oriented strategies and programmes for socioeconomic development
Malitskyi B.A., Doctor of Sciences in Economics, Professor, Director of the Centre
