Dr. Olga Polotska is Executive Director of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU), the national funding agency responsible for the competitive selection and grant support of high-quality research and development projects in Ukraine. She oversees the Foundation’s overall operational management, strategic development, and institutional capacity building, represents the NRFU in governmental bodies and international partnerships, and leads the Directorate’s activities. She holds a PhD in Philology (Germanic Languages, Cognitive Linguistics) and the academic title of Associate Professor, with over 20 years of experience in academia. Appointed Executive Director in 2020, she has led the Foundation’s strategic development and the strengthening of its grant management system. She has extensive expertise in research governance, grant management, the development of competitive funding mechanisms, and the alignment of national funding instruments with European standards. Under her leadership, the NRFU has administered new funding programmes and international joint calls, expanding cooperation with European and global partners. She actively promotes the integration of Ukrainian research into the European Research Area and contributes to advancing international research collaboration.