In opening remarks at the National Bank of Ukraine Emerging Researcher Forum 2026, the National Bank of Ukraine described research as a core input into central bank decision-making and said wartime conditions forced it to adopt new real-time ways to track the economy when traditional statistics, surveys and models stopped giving a complete picture. The speech highlighted the use of satellite imagery, nighttime light patterns, internet search data and online job platforms to assess economic activity and support decisions on monetary policy, financial stability, foreign exchange controls and work with international partners after Russia’s full-scale invasion. The National Bank said these methods helped identify signs of recovery before they appeared in official statistics and presented that experience as evidence that research has direct operational value rather than being separate from policy practice. In the same forum context, it said the programme has run since 2017, has received nearly 200 papers overall, selected more than 100 studies for presentation, and later hired 25 participants. For the 2026 forum, 34 applications were received and 15 papers from students and young researchers at eight higher education institutions were selected, covering fiscal policy, business lending, the labour market, digitalisation, behavioural financial decision-making and wartime risk management. The National Bank also invited young researchers to engage through internships, cooperation, research projects and professional development.

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