PANELISTS DISCUSSED ROLE OF SCIENTIFIC AWARDS FOR INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC ENGAGEMENT AT WYF SESSION
On March 3, a panel discussion "Scientific Awards: Recognition and Support for Scientists" was held within the framework of the business program of the World Youth Festival. The discussion was attended by leading scientists, recipients of awards in science and technology, and organizers of prizes such as the UNESCO-Russia Mendeleev International Prize, the Lobachevsky Prize, the Sber Science Award, and the VYZOV National Prize for Future Technologies.
Scientific awards now play the key role in supporting scientists and popularizing their discoveries as well as in fostering international scientific dialogue and scientific diplomacy. This was the conclusion reached by the participants of the "Scientific Awards: Recognizing Scientists and Supporting Breakthrough Areas" discussion held at the World Youth Festival on March 3.
During the panel discussion, recipients of scientific prizes spoke about their personal experience of receiving awards, how it affected their career paths as well as further research and work in the chosen field. The organizers of Russian awards also explained how foreign citizens can take part in contests.
The discussion was moderated by Aleksey Fedorov, member of the Coordination Council for Youth Affairs in Science and Education under the Presidential Council for Science and Education. Participants of the discussion were Artem Oganov, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Material Discovery Laboratory at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology; Yulia Gorbunova, Full Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vice President of the Mendeleev Russian Chemical Society, Dean of Fundamental Physical and Chemical Engineering Department at Moscow State University; Pavlos Lagudakis, Vice President for Photonics, Head of the Laboratory of Hybrid Photonics at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), winner of the VYZOV National Prize for Future Technologies; Albert Efimov, Vice President at Sberbank, Department Head at the National University of Science and Technology MISIS; and Leonid Shlyakhover, President of the Vyzov Foundation for the Development of Scientific and Cultural Relations.
"Scientific
awards are now more than just a way to reward the achievements of outstanding
scientists and engineers, they are also an important tool for international
scientific dialogue. In this context, active involvement of businesses in the
establishment of scientific awards is very important," said Aleksey
Fedorov, head of a research group at the Russian Quantum Center, Director of
the Institute of Physics and Quantum Engineering at NUST MISIS, member of the Coordination
Council for Youth Affairs in Science and Education under the Presidential
Council for Science and Education.
Great
examples of scientific awards created by members of business community are Sber
Science Award and the VYZOV National Prize for Future Technologies, co-founded
by Gazprombank and first held in December 2023.
"Scientific
awards are a landmark for scientists, scientific community, and businesses. The
value of the award is directly proportional to the scientific level and
objectivity of those who award it. The Scientific Committee of the VYZOV Prize is
made up of the leading scientists, and our committee guarantees objectivity and
impartiality when reviewing all applications," said Artem Oganov,
Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Material Discovery
Laboratory at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology.
"We do
not just award the prize, we continue to engage with the laureates by bringing
them into the spotlight, turning them into media personalities and leaders of
public opinion," noted Leonid Shlyakhover, President of the Vyzov
Foundation for the Development of Scientific and Cultural Relations.
Each award
plays an important role in supporting leading researchers, making scientific
discoveries more accessible to the general public and more attractive to
businesses. At the same time, the key task remains to enable international
scientific dialogue and support scientific cooperation.
"I am convinced
that scientific awards can become an example of effective international cooperation
and open constructive dialogue," said Pavlos Lagudakis, Vice President for
Photonics, Head of the Laboratory of Hybrid Photonics at the Skolkovo Institute
of Science and Technology (Skoltech), winner of the VYZOV National Prize for
Future Technologies.
For the business
community, awards are an opportunity to invest in knowledge. This view is
shared by Gazprombank, key partner and co-founder of the VYZOV Prize. Sberbank
also takes this into account when awarding its scientific prize:
"Today,
in order to be competitive, we rely on the state-of-the-art technologies such
as artificial intelligence, blockchain, quantum computing, robotics, and many
others. However, the most advanced solutions are based on fundamental science.
The Sber Science Award helps us build a bridge of interaction between the
academic community and our engineers and researchers. This definitely
contributes to the development of science in Russia," commented Albert
Efimov, Vice President and Director for Research and Innovation at Sberbank,
Department Head at the National University of Science and Technology MISIS.
"The UNESCO-Russia
Mendeleev International Prize in the Basic Sciences is one of the main outcomes
of the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements celebrated
in 2019 by the United Nations. The first four laureates of the prize are internationally
recognized scientists who may one day become Nobel Prize winners: Members of
the Russian Academy of Science Yuri Oganessian and Irina Beletskaya, as well as
Professor Vincenzo Balzani from Italy and Professor Klaus Alexander Müllen from
Germany. This is a tribute to the memory of the great scientist, Dmitry Mendeleev,
and it endorses the established reputation of this recently created award. We
expect to launch new international projects using this prize as an 'umbrella',"
said Yulia Gorbunova, Full Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vice
President of the Mendeleev Russian Chemical Society, Dean of Fundamental
Physical and Chemical Engineering Department at Moscow State University.
At the end
of the discussion, members of the scientific community concluded that
scientific awards play an important role in making advanced scientific research
more accessible to the general public, as well as in accelerating the monetization
of scientific knowledge. Scientific awards are essential for supporting
scientists and promoting their achievements. They raise the status of science
as occupation and provide motivation to young scientists, demonstrating the
demand for science and technology. Along with state prizes, private awards from
the leading tech companies are also emerging, which expands the range of
opportunities.
The session
was held with the support of the Coordination Council for Youth Affairs in
Science and Education under the Presidential Council for Science and Education.