We are proud to spotlight Olga Iermakova, our Alumna of the Executive Master in Management of Research Infrastructures (EMMRI), for her leadership in facilitating a major strategic initiative in Ukraine’s research landscape: the establishment of Ukraine Marine Research Infrastructure (UKRMARI), the Blue Economy National Node of the Ukrainian Black Sea Region.
The Memorandum establishing UKRMARI was officially signed in Odesa in May 2025, initiated by the State Organization “Institute of Market and Economic&Ecological Researches of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,” where Iermakova leads as a researcher and department head.
Developed as part of her EMMRI Master’s field project, thanks to the fellowship of the EU H2020 funded project EURIZON, the UKRMARI concept reflects the strategic foresight and management capabilities gained through the Executive Master in Management of Research Infrastructures programme at the University of Milano-Bicocca.
UKRMARI is designed as an inter-institutional consortium that brings together leading Ukrainian universities and scientific organizations in the Black Sea region. Its mission is to advance sustainable marine development, environmental security, and digital monitoring, while actively supporting the recovery and modernization of the blue economy sector.
The consortium aims to prepare the ground for Ukraine’s integration into pan-European marine and environmental research infrastructures, fostering deeper collaboration with the pan-European Research Infrastructures.
“The signing of this Memorandum is a response to the need to make science a tool for post-war recovery, sustainable development, and international cooperation. We strive to shape a new maritime identity for Ukraine as a part of the European scientific community,” the organizers noted.
This achievement exemplifies how the EMMRI programme empowers professionals to transform innovative ideas into impactful, real-world infrastructure strategies—promoting excellence, integration, and sustainability at both national and international levels.