Legal support for the protection of the rights of young scientists in research infrastructures
Authors: Ogiyenko Inna 
Published: April 2024

Problem setting. The article deals with the issues of legal support for the protection of the rights of young scientists in research infrastructures. The relevance of this issue is due to the fact that young scientists are the personnel and intellectual reserve of both science and society as a whole. They are high-level specialists and have high competencies in their fields of expertise, they have the ability not only to perform certain sets of functions well, but, most importantly, they can generate new ideas and offer new, non-standard ways to solve certain problems. That is why the issue of comprehensive support for young scientists and protection of their rights in the course of their scientific and technical activities is becoming increasingly relevant.

Analysis of recent researches and publications domestic and foreign researchers, including O. M. Yaroshenko, N. M. Vapnyarchuk, V. P. Kokhan, I.B. Zhilyaev, H. Coates, G. A. Nesvetailov, shows that the problem of providing the research sphere with young personnel is inherent not only in Ukraine but also in foreign countries. Therefore, finding ways to preserve the intellectual potential of the state, to increase the competitiveness of the research sector, in particular, with the help of research infrastructures, is an extremely important task today under martial law.

Purpose of the research is to study the state of legal regulation of protection of the rights of young scientists in research infrastructures, to study the problems faced by young scientists in Ukraine, and to determine the forms of support for young scientists as subjects of scientific and scientific and technical activities provided by the State and international organizations and foundations.

Article’s main body. It is established that the current legislation distinguishes two categories of young scientists: master's degree holders under the age of 35 and doctoral degree holders under the age of 40. The article analyzes the problems faced by young scientists in the course of scientific and technical activities and the forms of material and social support currently offered by the State to this category of employees.

Conclusions and prospects for development. The author concludes that there is a lack of material and social protection for young scientists, and that scientific work does not meet the conditions of decent work (adequate remuneration, adequate social protection, etc.), which forces young scientists to look for additional sources of income or to leave scientific activity in favor of other better-paid jobs.

The author notes that the solution to these problems should be to improve legislation in the field of science in terms of establishing the legal status of young scientists, in particular, it is necessary to change the criterion for identifying young scientists from the existing criterion by age to the criterion by stages of development of a scientific career and to raise the standards of material and social status of young scientists, and to implement the provisions already provided for by current legislation on young scientists in the field of social protection.