Ukrainian nationals involved in academic research will benefit from a £3 million package of support to continue their vital work in the UK, the latter’s government announced Sunday.

Accordingly, the “new Researchers at Risk Fellowship Programme will support Ukrainian researchers fleeing the conflict, as well as those already in the UK who are unable to return home.”

“The Fellowships will provide a salary, research and living costs for up to two years for these researchers, and will be available across all disciplines for postdoctoral researchers or those with equivalent experience, aiming to support Ukraine in preserving its research ecosystem.

As the UK continues to further isolate Putin’s Russia in light of his illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Government has also announced it is halting funding to all research programmes found to have links to Russian state and institutional collaborators, and will stop all ongoing projects where they provide a direct benefit to the Russian regime. The UK will also not fund any new collaborative projects with Russia through its research and innovation organisations.

These measures are targeted towards the Russian state, as well as individuals and organisations with strong links to the Kremlin. A small number of other existing collaborations remain under review in order to further assess, and ensure no future payments to institutions or individuals have any way of benefitting the Russian regime.

This action is directed towards Putin’s regime, not at individual Russian researchers and students, whom in many cases may oppose the actions of the Kremlin.

Our universities are already opening their doors to Ukrainian students and we are exploring ways to enable universities in the UK to partner with Ukrainian Universities in order to teach Ukrainian students remotely who are close to graduating, supporting them to complete their studies when they need it most,” the UK Government added.