The RAS commented on the information about the transfer of institutes to Kurchatov

Scientific councils were held in a number of scientific organizations on the issue of their possible affiliation with the National Research Center «KI»

The Russian Academy of Sciences commented on the situation around seven institutes, which it requested a month ago property of the National Research Center «Kurchatov Institute» its president Mikhail Kovalchuk. According to the press service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, there are no plans to transfer any institutes to the Kurchatov Institute.

Photo: AGN «Moscow» < /span>

The corresponding letter from Mikhail Valentinovich, addressed to the President of the country, was published on July 10, 2024, on the website of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In a message to Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Kovalchuk presented a list of seven scientific organizations that he would like to see as part of the Research Center. These are the Troitsk Institute of Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Federal Scientific Center for Food Systems named after. Gorbatov RAS, Shirshov Institute of Oceanology RAS, Crimean All-Russian Research Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking «Magarach» RAS, North Caucasus Federal Scientific Center for Horticulture, Viticulture and Winemaking, Federal Rostov Agrarian National Center and Institute for Problems of Microelectronics Technology and Highly Pure Materials RAS.

 The letter also states that in accordance with Putin’s decisions, the “National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute” “determined as the leading scientific organization providing scientific leadership in key areas of scientific and technological development of Russia.” Accordingly, already having  30 specialized research institutes, Kovalchuk asks to add to them the network of the above to “close the technological chains created at the Research Center.”

  The letter contains a resolution signed by the president on June 12, 2024: “I ask you to develop and submit proposals,” addressed to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and assistant Andrei Fursenko. The editorial office also has a copy of the letter from Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (Minister Valery Falkov) and the Russian Academy of Sciences (head of the Academy Gennady Krasnikov) with a request “together with interested federal executive authorities and organizations to ensure the implementation of (Putin’s) instructions dated June 12, 2024 year.» The results of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the Russian Academy of Sciences must be provided by July 12. 

    On Wednesday, July 10, the above institutes received instructions from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation to hold unscheduled scientific councils in order to develop the position of scientific teams at the request of Mikhail Kovalchuk. 

 « MK» managed to contact employees of four institutes – IO RAS, INR RAS,  Federal Scientific Center for Food Systems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and all of them confirmed information about the holding of scientific councils on the issue of possible affiliation with the Scientific Research Center «KI». They also all reported that scientific teams expressed their disagreement with the accession of their institutes to Kurchatovsky.   

The press service of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported on this situation that the issue of reassigning a number of academic institutes was raised about a month ago, it was promptly agreed upon with the Kurchatov Institute, with the ministry, and all interested parties, and at the moment there are no plans for changes in the status of the institutes.

“This issue was also discussed with the leadership of a number of academic institutions, – in this sense, it is quite unexpected that the topic has received such wide coverage today, – said a representative of the press service of the Russian Academy of Sciences. – Moreover, I repeat, my colleagues and I are in close working contact, we meet regularly, they are all well informed about what is happening.

  The press service also reported that the leadership of the RAS is “in continuous contact with the Russian government, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, and other executive authorities on all issues of functioning, scientific activity and development of academic institutions.” The message also states that the Academy “carefully ensures that organizations that are under the scientific and methodological guidance of the Russian Academy of Sciences are equipped with advanced laboratory equipment and can conduct research at the highest level.”

As before The key issue for the Russian Academy of Sciences is the issue of improving scientific and methodological guidance. According to a representative of the RAS press service, by the end of the year it is planned to approve long-term scientific development programs for scientific organizations and establish monitoring of their implementation.