More than 30 projects: what technologies are Ukrainian scientists developing for NATO

An information day of the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) program was held in Kyiv, at which the developments of Ukrainian scientists created within the framework of this program were presented. The main goal of the event is to present cooperation opportunities for Ukrainian scientists. Writes about this "Business Capital".

Фото: Depositphotos

According to Denise Bethen, Senior Advisor for SPS and Partnerships at NATO's Emerging Security Issues Division, Ukraine and NATO have been partners for more than 20 years, and the main direction of their joint work is scientific cooperation. During this time, the North Atlantic Alliance invested $44 million in Ukrainian science.

More than a thousand Ukrainian scientists took part in international developments and experiments. And Ukraine itself today ranks first among the Alliance partner countries in terms of the number of scientific projects and the amount of their funding within the framework of the Science for Peace and Security program.

A bit of history

Although the North Atlantic Alliance is perceived by many as a purely military organization, in fact NATO has many programs in the fields of science, environmental protection, and assistance in natural emergencies. The Science for Peace and Security program, which began in 1958, is one of them.

It was created to promote the training of scientists, facilitate the exchange of knowledge and create networks of experts. Today, the program has grown into one of the partnership's premier vehicles, covering a wide range of issues including cyber defense, responding to terrorism, and enhancing energy security. Over the past decade, the program has initiated nearly 29 joint activities among its 41 member states and 800 partner states, ranging from cyber defense in Jordan to humanitarian demining in Ukraine.

From radiation to cybersecurity

Since 1991, NATO, through the Science for Peace and Security program, has been funding the development of Ukrainian scientists. Within the framework of the SSR, 25 joint projects have already been implemented with the participation of Ukrainian research institutions. Currently, 33 more projects are at the implementation stage. Most of them are military developments.

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For example, Ukrainian scientists have created a portable device for generating current - more capacious and lighter than traditional lithium batteries, writes "Voice of America".

Such equipment is extremely necessary for a soldier in a combat zone to recharge a walkie-talkie, computer, and night-vision device.

“Our Portable Energy Project would not have been possible without NATO’s help,” said Igor Zavaliy, a professor at the Institute of Physics and Mathematics of the National Academy of Sciences.

Scientists from the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, together with their Norwegian colleagues, have created a modern system for recognizing mines and explosive devices. A robotic mine detector is able to detect explosives in the soil to a depth of half a meter, moreover, it “sees” both metal and plastic mines, displaying their images on a monitor.

Scientists from the same KPI, together with experts from Canada, have developed a portable microwave radar to protect personnel. The radar operates at a distance of 20 meters, revealing hidden weapons on the human body - pistols, grenades, explosives.

In general, the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Program finances over thirty projects that are currently being implemented in Ukraine.

Which of the best success stories? Answering this question, the senior adviser of the NATO program Denise Beten recalls the unique cyclotron created on the basis of the Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology. It is the smallest in size among world analogues, cheap and easy to operate.

“This is a great achievement, a flagship of our cooperation,” Bethen said.

According to her, today humanitarian demining has come to the fore in the scientific partnership of NATO and Ukraine. Telemedicine has also become a priority. At the beginning of 2020, a large-scale project to train paramedics who will prepare for work in areas of military conflict begins.

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“Since 2014, Ukraine has been the largest beneficiary of the NATO Science for Peace and Security program,” emphasized Alexander Vinnikov, head of the NATO office in Ukraine, speaking at the event. According to him, “Hundreds of Ukrainian scientists took part in joint SPS projects, took advantage of scholarships, and received equipment for research.”

Thanks to NATO funding, Ukrainian scientists have created a special device for tracking radioactive materials, which can be placed on a quadrocopter and used, for example, to examine the Chernobyl zone. This allows you to identify sources of contamination without risking personnel.

Of the new projects presented at the information day of the NATO Science for Peace and Security program, an interesting joint project of two Ukrainian universities - Chernigov National Technical University and KPI, in collaboration with the US Army Research Laboratory and the Bulgarian Defense Institute. Scientists are working on a cyber defense program that can not only find and track fake news online, but also determine the level of tension in society.

The total budget for this three-year study is $477. This amount includes the purchase of equipment necessary for research, internships abroad, travel expenses, as well as scholarships for young scientists - they amount to about $000 per month.

According to the First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Yuriy Polyukhovich, this cooperation is extremely important. NATO gets the experience and knowledge of our scientists, and they get money to buy expensive equipment and the opportunity to establish contacts with scientists around the world. “Unfortunately, our state cannot yet adequately finance domestic science. Especially in the field of high technology and weapons development,” says Polyukhovich.

True, the situation with the financing of domestic science can change for the better with the start of the work of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine, which will begin grant support for research and development from 2020 onwards. The budget for this is 500 million UAH (20,8 million dollars).

According to Yuri Polyukhovich, money will be given only to the best scientists for the most promising developments. The best will be the advice of the fund. It is planned that the National Fund will begin to work fully in April 2020. At first, this structure will be subordinate to the Ministry of Education, and in a year the department plans to release the fund in free swimming.

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