The Pan European Research Infrastructure ILOs Association (www.periia.eu) to which the Swiss ILO Office is associated, supports the Ukrainian research laboratories in their efforts to maintain their research activities running with the appropriate scientific equipment.
As Ukraine is an Associated Member State of CERN, this initiative was launched within the CERN Industrial Liaison Officer (ILO) network in June 2022 to identify replacement equipment for instruments that had been stolen or damaged during the war in Kharkiv. The initiative focused in particular on equipment that was no longer in use or had become obsolete in Western European laboratories, but could still be of significant value to Ukrainian institutions.
The deliveries will rely on RI Logistica, a nonprofit logistics association designed for Research Institutes with F4E, CERN, EU-XFEL and ESS as members, offering storage space and international logistics competencies. RI Logistica will facilitate the shipments from the donation point to Ukraine by supporting features such as customs clearance and observance of other legal conditions and prevent potential obstacles. RI Logistica will also record all shipments for reporting purposes. The starting guidelines and a list of equipment to be replaced are available on the RI Logistica website: https://rilogistica.eu/guidelines-ilo/