The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the creation of a new structural unit — the Agency for Applied Research, which is intended to become a systemic "interaction hub" between the scientific community and the real economy. As reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Education and Science, the agency will operate under the state scientific institution "Ukrainian Institute of Scientific and Technical Expertise and Information" and is launched as an experimental project provided for by the CMU resolution No. 1075 of August 26, 2026. Simultaneously with the institutional launch, recruitment for several positions in the new agency's team has begun.
Full Cycle: From Technological Request to Commercialization
According to the Ministry of Education and Science, the Agency's mandate covers the entire cycle of cooperation between science and business. At the first stage, specialists will analyze the technological and production needs of small, medium, and large businesses, helping enterprises prepare, collect, and verify technical requirements. Based on the identified needs, the agency will form proposals for priority areas of the first competition for applied research and development commissioned by Ukrainian businesses. Next, the team will focus on facilitating communication between enterprises, universities, and research institutions: finding partners, preparing joint applications, and providing organizational, methodological, and consultative support to potential competition participants.
Research Support and Technology Transfer
After forming "enterprise-scientific group" pairs, the agency will accompany the execution of joint applied research and technical developments, participating in testing of prototypes and pilot models. A separate area of work is the development and implementation of a strategy for the commercialization of research results. The agency will also facilitate the work of technology transfer and innovation development units of universities and research institutions, ensuring their coordination. In addition, there is provision for the introduction, administration, and development of an information and communication platform for science-business interaction, as well as monitoring how research results are used in production processes, analyzing the effectiveness of implementation and economic impact.
Minister's Stance: "Taking on Part of the Risks"
Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Andriy Butenko, commenting on the launch of the project, emphasized that "the country's technological capability depends on whether we know how to create our own solutions and implement them in production." According to him, for Ukraine, this is a matter of economic resilience and business competitiveness, and Ukrainian scientists "must become full partners to business." "That is why we are taking on a part of the research stage risks and creating conditions under which it is profitable for companies to invest in Ukrainian developments," said the head of the ministry. He added that the agency "must lay the foundation for a long-term partnership between science and business" so that "the knowledge of our scientists is turned into new production facilities and qualified jobs."
First Competition and Team Recruitment
The Ministry of Education and Science clarified that the experimental project combines two components: the creation of a new institution and the holding of the first competition for applied research and development commissioned by Ukrainian businesses. According to the ministry, every request in the competition is backed by a specific production task, and it is these stages that the Agency will support. In parallel, recruitment for various positions in the agency's team is open; conditions and requirements for candidates are published in the description of each vacancy. As the ministry notes, the team's work will also include conducting other events to develop partnerships between science and the real sector of the economy, commercializing developments, and transferring technology.
Context: Science Undergoing Transformation
The launch of the Agency for Applied Research fits into a broader cycle of changes in Ukrainian science that have been discussed in recent months. Previously, the government revised the funding mechanisms for scientific research, introducing new selection criteria and special conditions for a number of projects. In parallel, the Verkhovna Rada passed a law on academic integrity, aimed at combating plagiarism and "bought" scientific papers. Against the backdrop of these reforms, creating an institutional "bridge" between the laboratory and production looks like an attempt to systematically solve the problem of the gap between fundamental research and its practical application at a time when, according to estimates by relevant departments, a significant number of Ukrainian scientists left the country during the war years.
