Support for Ukraine and Ukrainians - a shared resource
Last updated: 16 April 2022
Ecsite strongly condemns the attack on Ukraine, which has already led to human losses and damages, the undermining of international security and a violation of human rights.
With this evolving resource, Ecsite is looking to share information and actions on what science engagement organisations are doing to support Ukraine, welcome refugees, and help our Ukrainian colleagues and friends.
Below you can find a list of ideas, actions, initiatives and other ways to support Ukraine. These resources are in a variety of languages and come from those within our network, and from national and international networks. If you would like to contribute to this resource, please send a short description and any relevant links/photos to communications@ecsite.eu.
Science and research-specific support
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Actions from organisations
The kENUP Foundation office, forming part of the Esplora Interactive Science Centre complex, turned into accommodation for Ukrainian refugees
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The kENUP foundation and EDU offices, which are located next to the Esplora Interactive Science Centre Universe Building, have been transformed into accommodation for ten Ukrainian refugee families fleeing from their war torn country. Employees have been asked to work from home as desks and chairs were replaced with beds and other home furnishings ahead of the arrival of around 30 people.
kENUP foundation director and Executive Chairman of the Malta Council for Science and Technology – within which Esplora operates, Dr. Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, spearheaded this long-term initiative. Due to the great deal of uncertainty posed by the Russia-Ukrainian war and for their safety, the repatriated Ukrainian families will stay for an indefinite amount of time; and they will not be charged any money.
The first out of the ten families arrived from Poland with full refugee status over the past weeks. The Foundation offered the property, logistical support and will pay for the utility bills, while Esplora Interactive Science Centre will take care of daily meals for all families. Furthermore, Esplora took over maintenance and the transformation of the offices into homes.
The Science Centre had already provided daily meals to families in need during the peak of the pandemic, and the team is ready and prepared to do it again. The EsploraCafe comprises of three kitchens with enthusiastic staff waiting to serve the repatriated Ukrainian guests.
It is noteworthy that many Maltese residents offered support, services, donations and goods; all of which enabled Esplora to make this initiative a reality. Once the crisis is over and the refugees return home, all supplies and appliances will be donated to NGOs and charitable institutions.
In the coming weeks, the Science Centre is also planning to launch a Corporate Social Responsibility Scheme whereby any person with a Ukrainian identification can enter Esplora for free during 2022. Such a scheme ensures the provision of recreational and educational experiences to repatriated Ukrainian families in Malta, and will also serve as an act of solidarity with other Ukrainian residents living in Malta. The Science Centre acknowledges that the present war is a signigicant ordeal for all Ukrainians, which poses several challenges on their physical and mental wellbeing - and that of their friends and relatives.
Esplora Interactive Science Centre strongly condemns the violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, together with the war crimes being perpetuated by so-called ‘liberation forces’ sent by Russia.
Esplora Interactive Science Centre complex in Kalkara, Malta: Desks and tables were replaced with facilities, finishes and furnishings to accommodate repatriated Ukrainian refugees.
European Cultural Foundation
|EN|
Dear friend of the Cultural Deal for Europe campaign,
Ahead of the meeting of the Culture Ministers of the EU Member States on 4 April 2022 in Luxembourg, the initiators of the #CulturalDealEU campaign, Culture Action Europe, Europa Nostra and European Cultural Foundation, addressed EU institutions, the current French presidency of the EU and the EU Ministers of Culture with an urgent plea to demonstrate a Culture of Solidarity with cultural actors in Ukraine: Culture is what brings us together. It is at the basis of the European project, and it is a pillar for a peaceful and inclusive future. We all need to act now and we need to be creative and swift in our solidarity with Ukraine and reaffirming its European.
Read the full open letter here
The topic of the Cultural Deal campaign and a European Cultural Deal for Ukraine will be featured as an important element of Europe Day 22, an event hosted by the European Cultural Foundation taking place on 9 May.
Europa / Funding & Tenders Portal notification
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Please find under this link a letter from the European Commission’s Director-General for Research and Innovation, asking for your support to researchers from Ukraine. We would like to kindly ask you to give special consideration to researchers from Ukraine as you publish and fill up the vacancies in the context of your EU-funded project.
You will soon be able to notify such opportunities in your ongoing project via the Funding & Tenders Portal (‘My Projects’ menu). We will inform you on the details in another dedicated message and on the Funding & Tenders Portal homepage once the new function is available.
Visit Experimentarium and support Ukraine
|EN|
Experimentarium is deeply affected by the situation in Ukraine and we want to help as best we can - both here in Denmark and at Ukraine's borders, where there is a huge need for emergency aid.
We invite people to come and explore and play in our exhibitions and experience a fantastic mixture of music, science and fun experiments with soap bubbles, fire and dissections live at Experimentarium, when we open our doors all evening on Wednesday the 30th March. To end the evening, we will send our hot air balloon up in Experimentarium’s spectacular front hall.
Proceeds from the tickets at 100 kroner (ca. EUR 13) all go to support Danish Red Cross’s humanitarian relief efforts in and near Ukraine and in Denmark.
Read more about it here and book your tickets:
Furthermore, all Ukrainian citizens are invited to visit Experimentarium for free for all of 2022.
Copernicus Science Centre - Warsaw, Poland
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Located in neighbouring Poland, which is seeing the majority of Ukrainians fleeing their homeland, Copernicus Science Centre are already offering lots of opportunities for Ukrainians, including
- A free-of-charge entry to CSC for all citizens of Ukraine
- Providing humanitarian aid to the Young Explorers Clubs in Ukraine
- The launch of mobile exhibition visits to refugee centres all over the country
- The creation of jobs for Ukrainian refugees with science or pedagogy backgrounds
- Placing symbols of support for Ukraine on social media and their website, as well as on the building and in the exhibition area
….and much more. Please view this document for more information or read this news.
Rijksmuseum Boerhaave - Leiden, the Netherlands
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The Rijksmuseum has displayed a presentation in their entrance hall with an exhibit of a (yellow and blue) historic medicine 'against poison'. As part of the presentation there is a QR-code that links to the national website of the Dutch Aid Fund. They ask their visitors to make a donation for the needs in Ukraine.
Neanderthal Museum - Mettmann, Germany
|EN|
To express its solidarity with the people of Ukraine, the Neanderthal Museum had its facade shining in blue and yellow; the national colours of Ukraine.
The Museum wants to set a sign for peace and against the war in Ukraine. It stands for humanity and the compliance of human rights. A look into 4 million years of human history shows how much suffering and loss wars bring. In these times, thoughts are with all the people suffering right now.
Heureka - The Finnish Science Centre - Vantaa, Finland
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- Heureka staff have launched a donation campaign “From Heureka to Ukranians” through the Finnish Red Cross, which has already raised €1,585 (up to 9 March)
- Free access to Heureka with a Ukrainian passport
- The Heureka planetarium is illuminated with Ukrainian colours (see link or below)
- They have decided to contact the Ukranians’ association in Finland for a dialogue about needed actions to support refugees’ needs, especially children
- They will also brainstorm what they could offer in terms of educational and psychological support
Universcience - Paris, France
|FR|EN|UK|
Visitors to La Cité and Les Étincelles will be offered the option of adding an extra €2 to their ticket price, which will be donated to the French Red Cross and their specific funds for Ukraine. Universcience will pay the equivalent of the first 5,000 donations to support the “PAUSE” programme, run by the Collège de France, which comes to the aid of scientists and artists in exile.
Several employees have also expressed their wish to mobilise, individually or collectively, to provide financial or material support. Several collections are organised in different areas of Paris, by various associative structures. Those who wish to can also, individually, make a donation to the Red Cross as well as to “PAUSE.”
You can view all of Universcience’s actions here (in French), which also contains press releases in English and Ukrainian.
Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto (MHNC-UP)
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The main line of action has been to gather essential goods (mostly pharmaceutical and hygiene) and deliver them to local organisations that are sending them to Ukraine and shelters in bordering countries where thousands of refugees are arriving.
experimenta - Das Science Center
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experimenta is doing the following to support those affected:
- collecting donations from visitors
- collecting donations from staff
- making a contribution as a company
- opening our doors for refugees (free entrance) – now that the first refugees have arrived in Heilbronn
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Actions from projects
POLAR STAR Project has translated its Toolkit in Ukrainian
|EN|UK|
POLAR STAR brings together state-of-the-art learning pedagogies and combines them with exciting activities that focus on contemporary science. If you want to know more about the project, you can watch this introductory video (English).
The POLAR STAR activities kit introduces contemporary science into the science classroom, the project focuses on two main scientific areas, Arctic research and Space. The activities kit includes 10 activities, following different variations of the STEAM approach based on the target age group and the subject at hand.
The kit is accessible online on POLAR STAR website page, each activity is available in 9 different languages, including Ukrainian.
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Specific support for children and families
Many of you are currently providing specific support for the children who have found themselves in the middle of a bloody conflict, as refugees in foreign lands. These children are often without one or both parents, who have had to stay behind to protect their country or care for vulnerable loved ones who cannot flee the atrocities. As science centres and museums, you are strong in providing enriching, safe spaces for children - let us know what you are doing to help. It may inspire other organisations and provide a small glimmer of hope and happiness in these turbulent times.
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Actions from networks
WFSJ Statement on the conflict in Ukraine
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The World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ) is deeply concerned about the impact of the war in Ukraine on both science and those who report on and write about science. We fear for the physical safety of journalists, communicators and researchers, and their ability to fully engage with their work without threats of reprisal.
The WFSJ, which is a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, comprises 69 member associations across the world, representing more than 15,000 individual science journalists, writers and communicators. Many of them are from countries that have current or recent experience of war.
War is a violent disruption to peoples’ lives, and it obstructs the essential work of scientists and journalists. It impacts the quality of journalism and the safety of our members, who are key players in civil society and democracy. It disrupts the scientific research that is key to progress. It disrupts free communication, collaboration and access to data. It disrupts communication around science, essential information that citizens can use to make decisions about anything from technology to health.
In our current reality, war has interrupted global efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, as attention has swiveled from virus to war. After more than a week of military conflict and media restrictions, violence is escalating, media outlets are subject to censorship, and a humanitarian disaster is unfolding in front of us.
We support negotiations for peace, a peace that is just and fair and serves all human beings. We stand by the members of our community who continue to work in extremely difficult environments. We hope that international diplomatic efforts will soon result in a peace agreement, so the massive destruction can stop and the healing can begin.
EFSJ Board statement on the war on Ukraine
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The board of the European Federation for Science Journalism (EFSJ) wholeheartedly endorses an open letter by Russian scientists and science journalists against the war in Ukraine. The letter, published on February 24 and still collecting signatures, voices strong protest against the hostilities of Russian armed forces and its impact both on loss of human lives and the foundations of international security.
Consistent with the EFSJ’s mission to support science journalism and cooperation in Europe, the board condemns this war and calls for a peaceful resolution to relations between the two countries.
The EFSJ statement has been signed also by Swim, the Italian Association of Science Writers on behalf of its President Fabio Turone, who is also an EFSJ board member.
Board of Directors of the Network for the Popularization of Science in Latin America and the Caribbean (RedPOP)
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The Board of Directors of the Network for the Popularization of Science in Latin America and the Caribbean (RedPOP) is in favor of peace and the solution of differences and conflicts through dialogue and negotiation. At the same time, it condemns all acts of war that threaten the integrity of nations and inflict suffering on their peoples.
In this regard, the Board of Directors of the RedPOP supports any initiative aimed at ending the war in Ukraine; and urges its members to undertake any action of humanitarian support and peace action within their reach.
March 24, 2022 (RedPOP website is not currently working)
Stick to Science
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The Stick to Science initiative has been set up to promote scientific collaboration at European level with Switzerland and the UK, together with all associated countries to Horizon Europe. Ukraine is an associated country to Horizon Europe since October 2021. The co-initiators of the Stick to Science campaign are deeply concerned by the current invasion of Ukraine affecting the European research, innovation and higher education communities and express their support for all researchers, staff and students affected by this devastating situation.
Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online (SUCHO)
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SUCHO is a group of cultural heritage professionals – librarians, archivists, researchers, programmers – working together to identify and archive at-risk sites, digital content, and data in Ukrainian cultural heritage institutions while the country is under attack. They are using a combination of technologies to crawl and archive sites and content, including the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, the Browsertrix crawler and the ArchiveWeb.page browser extension and app of the Webrecorder project
March 8, 2022 press release: Volunteers Unite to Archive Ukrainian Cultural Heritage
Statement from EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel
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The European Commission is determined to support Ukrainian pupils and teachers in these extremely challenging times with measures that can be found in this full statement from Commissioner Gabriel.
G6 common statement on solidarity with Ukraine
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The G6 network, which brings together six major European multidisciplinary research organizations—CNR, CNRS, CSIC, Helmholtz Association, Leibniz Association and Max Planck Society—and represents 135,000 staff, has just issued a statement on solidarity with the sovereign State of Ukraine.
ICOM webinar with Ukrainian museum professionals in and from Ukraine
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The webinar was organised by ICOM, during which museum professionals from Ukraine asked museums in the rest of Europe to give visibility to Ukrainian heritage and collections. The rationale for this is that what is known cannot be as easily destroyed as what isn’t. Watch the webinar here. They also request specific equipment that will help to preserve the collections within Ukraine itself.
NEMO - The Network of European Museum Organisations
|EN| - but the page can be translated
NEMO has gathered a very rich and valuable resource of its own, with support actions relating to Storage and Housing, Donations, Education and Exhibitions as well as statements issued by European museum organisations. Please also read NEMO's statement published on 25 February in solidarity with all cultural organisations and individuals in Ukraine.
ASTC - Association of Science and Technology Centres
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ASTC posted a short message on their website reiterating the statements they have already made on social media and highlighting the steps that many of our members and partners have also taken.
ASPAC - Asia-Pacific Association of Science and Technology Centers
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ASPAC sent a letter to their members regarding the war, which was also shared on their Facebook page and website. The letter is one of solidarity with Ukraine and its people, and especially to the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (a member of ASPAC and Ecsite).
EAZA - European Association of Zoos and Aquariums
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EAZA is working to keep in contact with their Ukrainian membership candidates and with the Ukrainian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (UAZA), and is supporting actions to make sure that animals are cared for and staff and their families remain safe.
They have established a dedicated fund, to where members can donate via this link.
If your institution is involved in your own fundraising efforts, EAZA asks you to inform them by email at info@eaza.net so that they can support requests from Ukrainian colleagues to coordinate such efforts. To view the full statement, click here.
European Cultural Foundation - Solidarity: A European Response to Ukraine
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To support cultural resistance to the war in Ukraine, the European Cultural Foundation has, together with its partners, activated the Culture of Solidarity Fund for Ukraine, with the first immediate grants that have already been made. They receive daily requests to support practical and innovative solidarity from the cultural sector, for the cultural sector.
IAU - International Astronomical Union (in collaboration)
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The IAU is deeply concerned for the Ukrainian community as well as for the entire region. In response to the life-threatening situation in which our Ukrainian colleagues find themselves, the European Astronomical Society (EAS), the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the African Astronomical Society (AfAS), the Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA) and the Korean Astronomical Society (KAS) wish to encourage members to help wherever possible in this difficult time for Ukraine. Ukrainian astronomers seeking support should contact the Institute of International Education (IIE) Scholar Rescue Fund, which supports refugee scholars and is activating an Ukraine-specific student Emergency Fund.
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Science and research-specific support
Labs supporting Ukrainian scientists
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A spreadsheet containing potential roles, lab positions and research positions across the globe which are open to Ukrainians.
Science for Ukraine
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Current offers for Ukrainian science professionals across the globe. A variety of research, doctorate, accommodation and funding options are available.