At the Institute of Mathematics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, by the decision of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, a new institution has been established — the Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi Center for Mathematical Research and Education. With this, the Academy responded to the initiative group of leading scientists from the Institute and the Kyiv Academic University, who aim to consolidate the active part of the scientific and educational community around preserving the national mathematical ecosystem. The goal of the new center is not only to create a permanent center of excellence for high-level science in cooperation with leading scientists worldwide supported by national and international donors but also to implement the concept of continuous mathematical education in practice (from schoolchildren to researchers), create a coworking space for creative collaboration between the mathematical community and business, and ultimately raise the prestige of the mathematics profession.
According to academician-secretary of the Mathematics Department of the NAS of Ukraine, director of the Institute of Mathematics of the NAS of Ukraine, academician Oleksandr Tymokha, who presented at the meeting of the Presidium of the NAS of Ukraine the motivational and conceptual foundations of the Center, the situation in mathematics in Ukraine is fundamentally different from developed countries and even most developing countries, where in recent years mathematical centers of excellence have also been actively created. In Ukraine, under the slogan "I will not need mathematics," mass mathematical education has been systematically destroyed for more than ten years — both in schools and higher education institutions. Students from small towns and villages, as well as regional (small) universities, where mathematical faculties have mostly been eliminated (only one or two departments remain, often staffed by lecturers who have not even defended dissertations in mathematical sciences), suffer the most. The overall mass level of school mathematical education is also rapidly declining, as confirmed by the PISA-2022 tests (Programme for International Student Assessment). The quality of most mathematics textbooks is questionable.
Ukraine urgently needs a policy of new industrialization and the creation of an innovative environment, the personnel for which cannot be prepared without a cohort of professional mathematicians and mathematics teachers. At the same time, the number of professional mathematicians in Ukraine is rapidly decreasing due to aging, emigration, and the inability to train new personnel, as young people are often deprived of the opportunity to receive quality mathematical education even at the secondary school level.
Thus, unlike other countries where mathematical centers are mainly focused on advanced science and international cooperation (the brightest example — both in content and organizational form — is the Isaac Newton Institute at the University of Cambridge), the Center at the Institute of Mathematics of the NAS of Ukraine should have working programs covering not only high-level science and international cooperation but also education in a broad sense: from school to postgraduate studies. This combination of science and education is called "continuous education" by academician Oleksandr Tymokha. The establishment of the Center is the first attempt to implement the concept of "continuous education" in practice.
Base. Like all successful mathematical centers worldwide, the newly created Center will have its permanent base — the Institute of Mathematics of the NAS of Ukraine. The Institute will provide the necessary infrastructure and technical support. The Center will also selectively involve the scientific personnel potential of the Institute (including postgraduate students), as well as master's students from the Department of Mathematics of the Kyiv Academic University (this department is organizationally part of the Institute).
Scientific and scientific-educational partners. The first step in establishing the Center will be to involve — as scientific-educational partners — mathematical institutions and Academy units, higher education institutions, so that other mathematicians-scientists and bachelor students can also participate in the Center's programs. Kyiv Academic University has already been involved.
School education. The Institute of Mathematics of the NAS of Ukraine has experience organizing professional development courses — together with Kyiv Academic University and mathematics teachers from leading specialized schools in Ukraine. It hopes for further partnership with these schools and, certainly, with the National Center "Minor Academy of Sciences of Ukraine," in particular its President, academician Stanislav Dovhy, who cares about the idea of deep integration of mathematical science and school education.
Mathematics should be taught by professional mathematicians. This rule is understood worldwide, where the specialty "didactics of mathematics" traditionally belongs to the field of "mathematics." That is why the highest international organization for mathematics teaching — the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) — is structurally part of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), and the official representative of Ukraine in this commission is the Institute of Mathematics of the NAS of Ukraine. Thus, thanks to the Center, there is a chance to join ICMI programs.
Organization of work and funding. Like other mathematical scientific centers worldwide, the Center will not have permanent scientific staff; it will operate in the format of selective funding of individual scientific, scientific-educational, and educational programs involving both Ukrainian and foreign participants. Similar foreign scientific centers operate the same way, involving various donors — permanent or program-specific — to finance these programs.
Interaction with business. A separate part of the Center will be a coworking space where interested business representatives can meet with professional mathematicians and students. Organizationally, the Center will rely on assistance from the scientific park project "Academ.city," which is, in fact, already an informal partner of the Center.
Naming. The Center will be named after the outstanding Ukrainian scientist whose 225th anniversary is celebrated this year. Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi (1801–1862) was not only a luminary of world mathematics and physics, a great educator, but also an active popularizer of Ukrainian identity, maintaining connections with Taras Shevchenko, the Starytsky and Lysenko families. His figure symbolizes the unity of mathematical science, mathematics teaching, and international recognition of the national mathematical school. There was a popular saying "Study — and you will be Ostrohradskyi," attributed to the circle of intellectuals of that time. This demonstrates Ostrohradskyi's status as a standard of education.
"We must take responsibility for the future of mathematical education and science in the country. The creation of this Center is a chance to unite the best intellectual resources and build a new ecosystem for knowledge development," believes academician Oleksandr Tymokha.
The establishment of the Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi Center for Mathematical Research and Education, for which the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine unanimously voted at its regular meeting on January 15, 2026, marks the start of official negotiations with potential partners and donors and the preparation of statutory documents. It took four years from the founding to the start of work of the Isaac Newton Institute at the University of Cambridge, during which a team of partners and donors (fundraising) was formed. Unfortunately, Ukraine does not have these four years, so it needs to hurry.
According to information from the Institute of Mathematics of the NAS of Ukraine