This meeting took place within the framework of the Supporting Science Engagement in Mathematics in Ukraine project. This project is coordinated by the European Network of Science Centres and Museums (Ecsite) and JAS, with the support of the Simons Foundation. The first phase of the project on professional development was concluded during the 2025 Ecsite Conference in Warsaw, Poland. The project supported the presence of 15 Ukrainian professionals at the Conference, a 4-hour pre-conference workshop and the booth of JAS at the Ecsite Trade Show.

Currently, the project is in the second phase that focuses on capacity building in exhibits design for Ukrainian professionals. This strengthens their expertise and supports the development of science engagement initiatives in the country. During the co-design workshop in Berlin, the IMAGINARY team shared their expertise in creating interactive exhibits and innovative museum formats, while the Ukrainian participants presented their vision of how to make science accessible even under the challenging conditions of a full-scale war. Together with their German colleagues, they developed over a dozen exhibit ideas, taking into account, mobility, resilience and energy independence. The JAS team also explored science museums in Berlin (Futurium and Spectrum) to study modern approaches to science engagement.

The co-design workshop marked significant progress toward the launch of a mathematics traveling exhibition in Ukraine. The next stage of the project involves developing the exhibit prototypes and conducting testing. The travelling exhibition is expected to be launched in March 2026.

This programme is funded by Simons Foundation International and administered by the Simons Foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division.

Ecsite is the European network of science centres and museums, bringing together organizations across Europe to inspire and engage people with science and technology.

The Simons Foundation is a U.S.-based philanthropic organization that supports discovery-driven scientific research in mathematics, physical sciences and life sciences.

IMAGINARY is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting mathematics and member of Ecsite. It was founded at the Mathematical Research Institute of Oberwolfach (Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach) in Germany, which remains one of its key institutional partners today.