First of all, I would like to express huge thanks to all the organizers of this conference because this is not an ordinary conference, this is just a very big event which is 100% timely for the Ukrainian research community and since this is the first conference of

huge congratulations and I do hope that next time we meet, next time we have a chance of discussing the issues that are raised today, we will be reporting about the progress now.

Let me start my presentation with a rather provocative question. I don't expect everybody to answer but at least just, well, I would like to give you a kind of a fruit for thought. So well, the question seems quite easy. Well, but this is only on the surface,

so if you really think hard about that, so well, you might have quite different answers. So let's imagine two Ukrainian researchers and who are applying for a grant of the National

Research Foundation of Ukraine and then while analyzing the information about these two people, we see that one of the researchers has an age index of eight and the other one the same index of four. So well, the question is can we put our hands on our hearts and say just for sure

that well, the ideas of the first researchers are better than those of course that they have more added value for research and society or if we paraphrase that in a very general way, so well, if we would like to evaluate quality of for example an application, would we always

rely on quantitative indicators? So well, this is fruit for thought for everybody. The next slide please. Well, today just like many of the speakers, I will be talking about

the research assessment reform which is currently a trend and not only in Europe, this is a trend worldwide and about the challenges connected to this trend. The next slide please. So well, first of all, why this question is of vital importance for us

as the national granting operator in the field of research and developments? It's because that's actually one of our main tasks is well, assessment and evaluation of research ideas

and so we a couple of words to introduce our foundation. We are a budgetary non-profit organization and so far we have been operating public funds only which means that well, we are accountable to the society, to the taxpayers and understanding that is also an

important thing. So well, we provide grants, grant support for both fundamental and applied research in all fields of research and mainly we practice the traditional bottom-up approach.

So we were established by the cabinet of ministers of Ukraine and we directly report to the cabinet of ministers of Ukraine. The next slide please. So well, now let's talk about the

basic principles that underlie all our activities. First and foremost, it's maximal openness and transparency and so well, this is how the foundation was formed and so this is one of the pillars which underlines everything we are doing. So here we are in line with the

current trends which we all observe and are involved in in modern research done nationally or internationally. So the second principle is independence and objectivity of our reviewing projects. So well, we rely on peer reviewing of projects submitted for both of the National

Research Foundation of Ukraine. Of course, a very important aspect here is respect for copyrights and related rights as well as the principles of scientific ethics. Again, we're proud to say that at the very beginning when the foundation was launched,

all these principles were with us at that time and so well, we are relying on them. So well, another important principle is compliance with principles of fair pool of fair competition. So well, because well, the selection done at the foundation is based extremely on competition

of ideas. Then of course, preventing of conflicts of interests when selecting the members of our governing bodies and of course, when we implement an organization of

competitive selection and further finance the winning projects. The next slide please. So well, as far as the main objectives go, they are well, it seems to me quite clear, so certainly that stimulation of national fundamental and applied research. Of course,

this is also development of research infrastructure in Ukraine and which is very important, especially now, it's international integration. Then well, one more of the objectives is

development of infrastructure of scientific research. Then well, we have always placed special accent on support of early career researchers and their projects. And the last but not the least, this is popularization of science of Ukrainian science and the outcomes of

our national researchers. The next slide please. So as well, all of you have heard today, just well and well, you have mentioned that several times that in June this year,

the European Council granted Ukraine the status of a candidate for accession to the European Union, which was a huge event for all of us. And well, this day officially verified European Union support or Ukraine's strive for becoming a truly European state and for sharing

European values. For us, this would naturally mean making well, huge steps and facing considerable challenges with the aim of aligning with European practices of assessing, financing, and managing in Ukraine research and innovation spheres. The next slide please.

So well, another important event just well happened late last year when the European Commission reveals its wish to form a coalition of research organizations in favor of

reforming research assessment. Given the widespread recognition that employers and funders currently use inappropriate and narrow methods to assess the quality of research and researchers. And as a matter of fact, early this year, the European Commission has

pulled organizations well to express their interest in being part of this reform. So well, I'm proud to say that the National Research Foundation of Ukraine joined this initiative and actually we were involved in negotiations and meeting of

stakeholders since the very beginning of 2022. The next slide please. So well, why do we say that this assessment reform is necessary? So shared commitments for research assessment reform

to be achieved in an agreed time frame will enable recognition of the diverse outputs, practices, and activities that maximize the quality of research and its resulting impacts, facilitate a move away from inappropriate uses of journal and publication-based metrics,

and reinforce trust in research. And well, after saying that, I would say that the two keywords are quality and trust in this whole process. The next slide please.

So well, in July 2022, the final version of this agreement came out. It was presented at a stakeholder assembly, bringing together over 350 organizations for over 40 countries. Well, not only European countries, by the way, which is also very important,

that makes the whole process global, not limited to the European continent. So well, as a matter of fact, so the agreement sets a shared direction for changes for the reform in assessment practices for, again, research, researchers, and research performing organization.

Next slide please. So well here, I'm not going just well to say that you can have a look at, well, these are the words of president of the European University Association, one of the

co-partnering organizations together with Science Europe, who are actually taking the leads in implementing this just well, the process while drafting the agreements, making amendments, and then forming the coalition of different organizations who would like to

sign the agreements. And here it's just, well, it's very important to understand that declaring something is not enough, or declaring just following some policies is not enough. So this is partnership and a lot of mutual work, a lot of mutual discussions that

has already been done, but is still to be done in the future. The next slide please.

Sorry. So well, here are two main principles for assessment criteria and processes mentioned in the agreement in this initiative. First of all, it's concentration on quality and impact, and secondly, diversity, inclusiveness, and collaboration. And so these are not just simple,

you know, words. So well, these words have a very, well, you know, specific direction of actions, and these actions are always done mutually in cooperation worldwide. The next slide, please.

Yeah, so well, a couple of slides. So back, one more. So well, previous.

So well, actually, the agreement contains, well, two groups of commitments, core commitments and supporting commitments. So well, the core commitments go about diversity and recognizing diversity of contributions and careers in research in accordance with the needs of

nature of the research. A very important question for the National Research Foundation of Ukraine, well, when planning the projects, when budgeting the projects, when financing them and implementing. Then base research assessment. So well, this is one more commitment on qualitative

evaluation for which peer review is central, supported by responsible use of quantitative indicators. So well, the reform does not reject all quantitative indicators. This is

very important to use them. Well, very responsible. So one more important step. It's abandoning inappropriate usage of research assessment of different metrics, such as

journal citation, just journal publication based metrics. Yeah, so age indexes and so on and so forth. So well, this is just how we used to operate. And now we are moving away from that following the trend. So well, then, so well, one more commitment is avoidance of the use

of rankings of research organizations. And this is also a huge step for Ukraine, not only for Ukraine, a huge challenge for European and non-European countries that have decided to sign the agreement. The next slide, please. So there are more supporting commitments, just well,

please have a look briefly, because I would like to economize on time. The supporting commitments, they are also very important. And actually, well, what is tremendous help about this initiative is that the agreement is followed by a set of practical advice

and recommendations on where to start, where to proceed. So well, how the existence of this coalition and the dialogue between the members is going to be running. The next slide, please.

Well, as a matter of fact, I love the citation, just the words said by the president of Science Europe, Mark Shields. And I'm honored to know him personally. So well, publisher

perish and metrics have led us into a blind alley, lets us start recognizing the full breadth of value created by researchers. I think that just, well, these two short sentences make the very essence of the reform. And just well, like any reform, of course, there is

just well, you know, well, not only challenges, there are barriers, there are opponents to the reform. Well, you can guess that just well, those big publishing companies are not quite satisfied

with that trend. But so well, within the frames of this reform, the dialogue and involvement of big publishers can also be a kind of solution and a very good tool to achieve the expected results. And the next slide, please. So you can definitely learn more the ones who

don't know much about this initiative. So well, there is a lot of information on the website of Science Europe, actually, so we normally use this to update the information.

So well, the agreement was drafted by Science Europe, the European University Association, and with huge help, Dr. Karen Stroubanz, who is one of the ideologists of this reform, and supported by the European Commission. And as a matter of fact, the process of signing the

agreement and joining the coalition now has a wonderful name, COARA, is quite easy from the technical point of view. And at the end of my presentation, I am so pleased and honored to inform all of you that just literally a couple of days ago, the National Research Foundation of

Ukraine has signed the agreement and has joined the coalition. So well, we have a lot of challenges ahead of us. But well, I'm quite sure that with support of our international partners and support of stakeholders and partners in Ukraine, we will cope with all the challenges.

And on the last slides, you can see just well, our contact information. Of course, we will be happy to answer any questions. Thank you so much.