The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Award for Young Scientists is established to honor young Ukrainian scientists for significant scientific achievements in the field of fundamental and/or applied scientific research, specifically:

previously unknown patterns have been discovered, fundamentally new scientific results have been obtained, new scientific theories and concepts have been developed that have received practical confirmation and recognition in Ukraine and/or abroad, and outstanding achievements have been made in the fields of exact, natural, technical, social, and humanities sciences that address specific national challenges, meet the interests and expectations of citizens, local communities, and Ukrainian society, as well as contribute to the further development of science and social progress and affirm the high standing of scientists in Ukraine and worldwide;

New agents, devices, and substances have been developed; new strains of microorganisms have been created; plant varieties, and animal breeds; fundamental improvements have been made to them or they have been put to new uses, as confirmed by relevant patents, and their implementation has a significant impact on addressing humanitarian and socio-economic issues (as confirmed by implementation certificates), as well as issues of national security and defense;

new technical objects (equipment, devices) and technological processes have been created that, in terms of most technical parameters, meet or exceed international standards (as evidenced by invention patents), and whose implementation has a significant impact on addressing humanitarian and socio-economic issues (as evidenced by implementation certificates), issues of national security and defense;

New effective methods for teaching and training specialists, as well as information technologies, have been developed.

2. Nominations for the Award are submitted by academic (scientific, scientific-technical, or technical) councils of research institutions or organizations, higher education institutions, and enterprises in Ukraine where all or at least the lead researcher of the applicant team is employed and where the bulk of the research was conducted (hereinafter referred to as the Academic Council), ensuring broad discussion, publicity, and transparency.

The Instructions on the preparation and submission of documents, as well as the procedure for their review (hereinafter referred to as the “Instructions”), shall be approved by the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine responsible for matters of science and scientific and technical activities (hereinafter referred to as the “Committee”). The specific procedures for the submission and review of scientific works containing information constituting state secrets for the award of the Prize shall be approved by the Security Service of Ukraine in consultation with the Committee.

A group of nominees for a single award may not exceed four people. Furthermore, each nominee must have been directly involved in the creation of the work, and each must have made a significant creative contribution.

If the Prize is awarded to a group of authors, the monetary portion is divided equally among them.

The award may be presented to an author (or a group of co-authors) only once.

Scientists who, either individually or as part of a team of authors, have been awarded the President of Ukraine Prize for Young Scientists or the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology may submit their new works exclusively for scientific achievements that were not included in the nominations for those prizes, and may be nominated for the Prize by Academic Councils.

The Academic Council may not, within a single year, nominate a young researcher for the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Named Scholarship for Young Scientists — a Doctor of Science and his or her work (or the work of a team of researchers involving this researcher) for the Award, nor may it nominate the same work for the Award and the President of Ukraine’s Award for Young Scientists or the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology. In the event of a violation of this requirement, the nominations will not be considered.

As of April 1 of the year in which the competition is held, candidates for the Award must be 40 years of age or younger if they hold a Ph.D., or 35 years of age or younger if they hold a master’s degree or higher but do not hold a Ph.D.

3. Research institutions or organizations, higher education institutions, and enterprises shall, by decision of their Academic Councils, submit from January 2 through March 1, inclusive, two hard copies of the work for consideration for the current year’s Award, prepared in accordance with the Instructions, and one copy, except for books, on electronic media to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine or, as appropriate, to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the relevant national sectoral academies of sciences of Ukraine, or central executive authorities. These works may also be submitted, depending on the location of the scientific institution or organization, higher education institution, or enterprise, to the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, regional councils, and the Kyiv and Sevastopol city councils.

Another copy of the work submitted for the award is kept by the Academic Council.

Scientific works containing information constituting state secrets must be prepared in accordance with established requirements regarding the protection of state secrets and, during the same period, submitted to the Security Service of Ukraine in accordance with the submission guidelines approved by the Service.

4. The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the national sectoral academies of sciences of Ukraine, central executive bodies, the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, regional councils, and the Kyiv and Sevastopol city councils review the works submitted to them for the Award and decide on their technical and substantive compliance with the requirements of these Regulations and the Instructions, as well as on their recommendation for the Award. If a work is recommended, such a decision shall be submitted by April 15, inclusive, to the Committee with a cover letter, to which two paper copies and one electronic copy of the work shall be attached. Works that do not meet the requirements of these Regulations and Instructions and have not been recommended shall be returned.

For the purpose of reviewing works containing information constituting state secrets, the Security Service of Ukraine, with the participation of representatives from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and other relevant agencies, shall establish a selection committee to evaluate works containing information constituting state secrets for the Award. The selection committee for works containing information constituting state secrets for the Award, in accordance with the instructions approved by the Security Service of Ukraine, conducts an expert review of the submissions, their consideration, and ranking of submissions, and submits for approval to the Security Service of Ukraine a list of up to 5 works (by individual authors or teams) of the winners of the competitive selection without specifying the title of the work containing information constituting a state secret. The Security Service of Ukraine approves the submission of this competition commission by Order and, no later than September 15, sends it with a cover letter to the Committee. The conduct of the competition and the adoption of any decisions regarding works containing information constituting state secrets, as well as the individuals to whom the Award is proposed for such works, shall be carried out in compliance with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine “On State Secrets.”

5. The Committee for the Review and Competitive Selection of Candidates for the Award shall establish a Selection Committee for the Award (hereinafter referred to as the “Selection Committee”).

The Competition Commission is headed by the Chair of the Committee or one of his or her deputies. The Competition Commission includes members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, as well as, with their consent, leading scientists—experts in various scientific fields—and representatives of leading state and public scientific organizations. Members of the Competition Commission participate in its work on a voluntary basis. The composition of the Competition Commission is approved by the Committee. The frequency of the Competition Commission’s meetings is determined by its chair.

To ensure that the general public is fully informed about the nominees for the Award and their works (with the exception of works containing information classified as state secrets), the relevant information is published in accordance with established procedures in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s newspaper *Holos Ukrainy* and posted on the Committee’s official website.

Critical reviews and comments received by the Committee regarding the works of candidates for the Award are taken into account when the Competition Commission makes its decision on the winners of the competition.

A meeting of the Competition Commission is considered valid if at least half of its members participate, including remotely. Based on the results of the competition, the Competition Commission shall adopt a decision to submit 45 winning entries and the next 5 entries in the ranking—as contenders for the win—to the Committee for consideration, in the event that the Security Service of Ukraine fails to submit a list of winning entries containing information constituting a state secret. The decision of the Competition Commission is adopted by a simple majority of the votes of the members of the Competition Commission present at the meeting.

Members of the Selection Committee are required to avoid conflicts of interest during the evaluation of applicants’ proposals and the voting process, and must disclose any such conflicts before the substantive consideration of the matter begins. A member of the Selection Committee who is found to have a potential conflict of interest must abstain from voting on matters involving that conflict.

The Competition Commission or its chair may, for valid reasons, order additional evaluations of specific entries, the results of which will determine the overall average score based on all expert evaluations of the entries. If several entries receive the same rating score, which affects the determination of the competition winners, the Competition Commission or its chair shall order an equal number of additional expert reviews of such works, or the Competition Commission shall conduct a detailed discussion of these works and make a decision regarding them, taking into account the balanced representation among the recommended winners of the competition of all priority areas of science and technology development, fields of knowledge, as well as regional and gender aspects.

6. At its meeting, the Committee reviews the recommendations of the Selection Commission and the Security Service of Ukraine and decides whether to endorse them and forward them to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for consideration.

The Committee may refer the Competition Commission’s submission back for reconsideration, stating the specific grounds for doing so, and shall issue a reasoned decision to that effect. If the Security Service of Ukraine submits a list of winners of the competitive selection comprising fewer than five works containing information constituting a state secret, such works shall be replaced by the next works in the ranking determined by the Competition Commission. The submission from the Security Service of Ukraine shall indicate the author or group of co-authors, if possible specifying their position and the full name of the scientific institution or organization, higher education institution, or enterprise, as well as the fact that the work contains information constituting a state secret.

A Committee member in whom a potential conflict of interest has been identified shall abstain from voting on matters involving such a conflict, in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On Preventing Corruption.”

By November 1 of each year, the Committee submits to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine a proposal to award the Prize, along with a draft resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which may be signed by members of the Verkhovna Rada who are members of the Committee.

7. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopts a resolution on the awarding of the Prize for the relevant year by December 31 of each year. Each year, up to 50 Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Prizes are awarded on a competitive basis to young scientists (including up to five prizes for works containing information constituting a state secret), the amount of each award is sixty times the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons as of January 1 of the year following the year in which the works were submitted for the Award.

8. In accordance with the adopted resolution, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, upon the recommendation of the Committee, issues an order regarding the payment of the Award for the relevant year and the presentation of a diploma and a standard badge to the laureates.

9. Recipients of the Award are conferred the title of “Laureate of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Award for Young Scientists,” and, in a formal ceremony held at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, are presented with a diploma and a standardized badge by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine or, at his direction, by the First Deputy or Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Chair of the Committee.

10. The issuance of diplomas to the Award winners, their accounting and registration, as well as the accounting of the winners’ badges, are carried out by the Personnel Department of the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

11. The cash portion of the Award is paid to the laureates from funds allocated in the budget of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

The diploma and badge of an Award laureate who has passed away remain with his or her immediate family members (or are transferred to them) for life. Any unpaid monetary portion of the Award is inherited in accordance with established procedures.