In 2019, scientific institutions will start evaluating according to the new rules - the Ministry of Education and Science has developed the appropriate methodology.

This year, the evaluation of scientific institutions will begin in Ukraine according to new rules - it will be conducted by independent experts based on uniform, transparent criteria, taking into account the specifics of each institution. The level of state support will depend on the results.

The start of state certification is opened by the order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine dated September 17, 2018 No. 1008 "Some issues of state certification of scientific institutions", registered in the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on December 28, 2018, which approved the evaluation methodology, as well as regulations on expert groups and expert commissions. It has been in effect since January 2, 2019, and was published on January 9, 2019.

"During the past two years, together with the scientific community, we have carried out serious preparatory work so that the statutory certification of scientific institutions under the new rules will begin in 2019. In particular, the Government adopted the Attestation Procedure, which included two most important things. First, the results of the institutions' activities will be evaluated not by the Ministry and the Presidium of the Academies of Sciences, under which these institutions are subordinated, but by independent experts. Moreover, they will be evaluated on the basis of transparent and understandable quantitative indicators. This is how we minimize the conflict of interests. Second, the basis has been created for the state support of the institution to be directly dependent on the efficiency of its work: the best ones will receive more, and the ineffective ones must be reorganized or liquidated. Now we have approved the methodology, which prescribes exactly how the evaluation should be carried out, according to which criteria, how the evaluation and classification group of the institution will be determined, etc.," said Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Maksym Strikha.

For example, during the evaluation, such indicators as the results of scientific activity for the last 3 years, development strategy for the next 5 years, publishing activity, efficiency of resource use, level of international integration, personnel potential, etc. will be taken into account. At the same time, the specifics of various branches of science and the specifics of the activity of scientific institutions of various profiles - natural, humanitarian, military and others - will be taken into account.

Evaluations will be carried out by expert groups, which will be created in different scientific areas, and the results of the certification will be determined by a single expert commission.

In order to pass the state certification, the institution will have to submit an application and relevant information materials to the Ministry of Education and Culture, on the basis of which the classification assessment of the institution will be determined (calculated in a special form according to 4 groups of specific indicators) and the rating assessment of the institution (issued by the expert group on the basis of the study of all the submitted materials ).

Depending on the classification and rating evaluations, the expert commission will determine the attestation evaluation and assign the institution to one of four classification groups:

1. leading scientific institutions.

2. stable scientific institutions that can be leaders in certain areas of scientific research.

3. scientific institutions that are unique in a certain field, but demonstrate a low level of potential development.

4. scientific institutions for which scientific, scientific-technical or innovative activities have ceased to be the main type of activity, which are not unique in the relevant field and have lost development prospects.

As before, attestation will be carried out no less often than once every 5 years, and will be mandatory for:

– scientific institutions of state, communal forms of ownership;

– scientific institutions, in the charter capital of which there is a share belonging to the state;

- scientific institutions of the National Academy of Sciences, national branch academies of sciences.

It is assumed that the process of submission of materials and evaluation will take place through a special information and analytical system, the creation of which is currently at the final stage. After the launch of the system, the formation of the expert commission and expert groups, the state certification of the first institutions will begin. It is planned that more than 100 scientific institutions will be able to pass it this year.

It is worth noting that in 2019, state certification of higher education institutions should also begin in terms of their scientific (scientific and technical) activities in scientific areas, the best of which will be able to receive basic funding for science. The relevant assessment methodology has already been created and is at the stage of approval and approval.