Scientific research is an important part of Realis’s activity.
Since 2000, Realis has been actively organizing specialized conferences. The first of these was the Ukrainian-British Conference on Bioethics, which marked the beginning of a broad interdisciplinary dialogue between Christian thought and scientific approaches. In 2006, Realis published the book “Bioethics in Medicine and the Food Industry: The Necessity and Meaning of Moral Behavior.”
On May 23–25, 2019, Realis, with the support of St. John’s College (Durham University, UK), held a Symposium on Digital Theology in Kyiv, gathering more than 150 participants from various fields and churches of different Christian traditions in Ukraine. The lectures, seminars, and workshops covered topics such as “Technology and Faith,” “Technological Fears,” “Thinking about God in Digital Culture,” “Artificial Intelligence,” and “Social Media: A Force for Democracy or Authoritarianism?”
Among Realis’s guests was David Wilkinson, President of St. John’s College, Durham University, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society who holds a PhD in the study of star formation, the chemical evolution of galaxies, and terrestrial mass extinction, as well as in systematic theology. Dr. Wilkinson delivered lectures at several Ukrainian universities and seminaries, as well as at meetings of technologists and theologians on topics such as “Cosmology and Theology in Dialogue,” “Science and Faith in the Media,” and “Science, Religion, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.”
From 2019 to 2021, Realis, together with the Open Orthodox University, conducted the program “Theology and Digital Culture,” jointly developed by scholars from Durham University (UK) and staff of the Christian Study and Research Center “Realis.” This program explored, on the one hand, the influence of digital technology on society, the Church, and the perception of the Bible, and on the other hand, ways of effectively communicating the gospel message to people shaped by this culture and technology.
Recent Years
From 2019 to 2022, Realis participated in an international research project aimed at building healthy communities through the practice of forgiveness, which was part of the “Human Flourishing Program.” Universities from five continents took part in this project. As a result of this work, in 2022 Realis presented a report at an international seminar held at Harvard University. In 2025, Realis continues to participate in international seminars on strategies for human flourishing.
