News

Report by Vladimir Nechaev at the Ministry of Education Council for Science

June 23, 2015 there was held the regular meeting of the Council for Science of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation under the chairmanship of RAS Academician A.R. Khokhlov, with the involvement of Deputy Minister L.M. Ogorodova and the Department Director S.V. Salikhov.
On the agenda there was the report by Chancellor Sholokhov University Professor V.D. Nechaev on the experience of the unique Russian Institute for Advanced Study in Humanities and Technology (RIAS) at Sholokhov Moscow State — University for the Humanities.

Vladimir Nechaev delivered a detailed report on the RIAS mission against the background of similar European and global Advanced Study Institutions` experiences. He noted the crucial role of partners in the successful performing of RIAS, in particular, «Rossotrudnichestvo» Federal Agency, spoke of the participants geography, and the results obtained by now.

In total, during the 3 years of RIAS work, there have been held 3 researchers fellowship grant contests, the experts panel have admitted to examination 593 funded projects by researchers from 19 countries in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Australia and Africa (applications submitting for the 4th contest is currently driving to the Deadline).

The experts panel allocated to support 39 winners from 7 countries, who performed their research on the venue of RIAS Sholokhov University. Vladimir Nechaev presented RIAS scientific impact data:

• 56 articles published in Web of Sciences and Scopus journals,
• 27 articles published in RSCI journals,
• 39 articles are currently available for reviewing in the editorial offices-
• apart from the scientific articles, the publication of books and textbooks, as well as dozens of projects submitted to the RFBR, RFH and RSF competitions-
• dozens of interdisciplinary seminars and workshops, which were attended by both RIAS researchers, and Sholokhov University staff and students, visiting external experts and researchers of other universities-
• a number of courses delivered for Sholokhov University students.

The report by Professor Vladimir Nechaev caused a lively discussion of the Board Fellows. The discussion was attended by Professors, Doctors of Science I.I. Volkov, Yu.Yu. Kovalev (LPI RAS), A.K. Tsaturyan (MSU), K.I. Sonin and L. Hochberg (HSE), R.L. Smelyanskii, R.Z. Valiev (RAS — FASO), who asked many questions. The questions concerned the reasons and motivation of RIAS opening, its funding sources, its facilities and resources, the evaluation standards in the context of the laureates` outputs.

Summarizing the discussion, Academician A.R. Khokhlov on behalf of the Board Fellows expressed positive appreciation and support for the work of the first Russian Institute for Advanced Study in Humanities and Technology (RIAS) at Sholokhov Moscow State University for the Humanities. He mentioned that the first institution of this kind in Russia is an important project, and noted that he also had been involved in such institutions at the beginning of his career-path, therefore he knows what beneficial effect it has on the scientific activity of young scientists.

«For a number of years now we have been planning to host such an institution at Lomonosov Moscow State University, but for various reasons we have not yet succeeded, «- said A.R. Khokhlov. He personally visited RIAS venue in Zavety Ilicha in Pushkino city, and highly appreciates its potential capacity, academic level and experiences.

According to repute of the Board and its Chairman, Academician A.R. Khokhlov, the Council for Science should propose to the Russian funding science institutions to hold relevant competitions for the support of the Institutes for Advanced Study.

Project Supervisor
Doctor of Biological Sciences,
Professor R.I. Zhdanov