The Italian Institute for the Future (IIF) and the Institute for Economics and Forecasting (IEP) of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding during a ceremony in Naples on Wednesday 11 May 2022. The document, agreed between the parties, provides for the launch of a series of joint activities between the two research institutes, starting with the analysis of the political and economic consequences of the war against Ukraine at European and world level; this study is part of a broader project of social and economic recovery of Ukraine.
“Futures Studies, which our institute promotes in Italy, was born as an offshoot of Peace Studies in the 1960s: at the time the goal was to avoid a new world war and guarantee a peaceful future through collaboration between the East and West. Today we have a similar task “, underlined Roberto Paura, president of the Italian Institute for the Future, in his speech.
“As academic institutions specializing in the study and solution of long-term problems, we have faith in the future,” said the director of the Institute for Economics and Forecasting, prof. Valeriy Heyets, in direct connection from Kyiv with several other academics, pointing out that the challenges that the two institutes are called to solve are on three levels: recovery of Ukraine and its participation in the European integration process; the search for solutions to ensure a low-carbon future for climate sustainability; the mitigation of future potential health crises after the Covid pandemic and the long-term effects of pandemic stress.
The Consul General of Ukraine in Naples, Maksym Kovalenko, who attended the ceremony together with Consul Vassyl Shvets, emphasized that the greatest heritage of Ukraine is represented by the Ukrainian people, who have in Campania one of the largest communities in Europe, to which about twenty thousand refugees have been added since the start of the war. The Consul pointed out the agreements signed in recent weeks with universities, research centers and industrial groups in Southern Italy to strengthen Ukraine and its future.
Among the first tangible results of the collaboration, the appointment of Adriano Cozzolino, director of the Center for European Futures of IIF, as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of European Economy, and of Alex Sharov of IEP in the scientific committee of Futuri, the magazine of the Italian Institute for the Future, as well as a series of joint publications between the two institutes. IIF will also make available some scholarships for Ukrainian refugee students in Italy to participate in the training activities scheduled in the coming months. The coordinators of the agreement will be Sergiy Koroblin for IEP and Vincenzo Torre for IIF.
The ceremony was attended in presence by the Ukrainian delegation: Oleksandr Sharov (Chief Researcher at IEP), Tetiana Sharova (Professor Emeritus of the Ternopil Institute for National Economy and former director of the TACIS program in Ukraine), Inna Sheshnova (cultural mediator for Ukrainian refugees in Campania). In connection from Ukraine participated: Valeriy Heyets (Director IEP), Sergiy Korablin (Deputy Director IEP), Olena Borzenko (Head of IEP international finance department), Yevhen Savelyev (Director of the Journal fo European Economy, lecturer at West Ukrainian National University ). For IIF the ceremony was attended by Roberto Paura (President), Daniela Porpiglia (Vice President), Vincenzo Torre (Head of international relations), Adriano Cozzolino (Director of the Center for European Futures).
