The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the draft budget for 2021, in which the financing of budget programs in the field of scientific and scientific and technical activities has been increased.

This is stated in the notification of the Ministry of Education and Science.

It is planned that 820 million hryvnias will be allocated for the scientific and scientific and technical activities of higher education institutions and scientific institutions in 2021.

Expenditures for state prizes, scholarships and grants in the field of education, science and technology, scholarships for winners of international competitions are proposed to be provided in the draft of the State Budget in the amount of UAH 67.5 million.

Also, in the draft State Budget for 2021, financing of the budget program "Priority areas of scientific research and scientific and technical (experimental) development in institutions of higher education" is provided in the amount of UAH 100 million. Expenditures should be directed, in particular, to the development of infrastructure, renewal and modernization of the material and technical base for carrying out scientific and scientific and technical activities.

In 2021, almost 584 million hryvnias have been allocated to support the activities of the National Research Fund (this is almost twice as much as in 2020). Expenditures should be directed to the continuation of funding of the contests "Science for the safety of man and society", "Supporting research of leading and young scientists". Funding of new competitions is also foreseen - "Support for research of young scientists", "Support for research in the field of natural sciences, technical sciences, mathematics and informatics; in the field of biology, medicine and agricultural sciences and in the field of socio-humanitarian sciences".

At the same time, the Ministry of Education and Science reports on the preparation of proposals to increase the amount of expenditures under separate budget programs in the field of scientific and scientific and technical activities. In accordance with the requirements of the law, the specified proposals can be considered during the second reading of the draft budget for 2021.