cutting megagrantov

Published by the Ministry of Education and Science of the list of bidders to apply for grants for research by leading scientists in the Russian universities has allowed a little more about the program, in which 80 research groups for their research will be 150 million rubles for three years.

Every event, whether it's school play, the Olympic Games or the conference, has several important stages, the beginning of each of which usually becomes the subject of active discussion. First, somewhere in somebody's bright minds conceived the idea of the event. Then, when the fact of his adopted wherever possible, begin the preparation for it. Somewhere near this point reveals another stage - the list of participants is determined by. Finally, comes the long awaited moment is just the event itself. The final stage is a final discussion on ...

From the perspective of this model in the ...

This week the scientific world acquainted with the list of 512 scientists, 80 of which will be for themselves and their colleagues of the Russian government grants in the amount of 150 million rubles.

Even a little analysis of this list makes the re- think about how well organized this program and what results it will bring to the Russian Science.

The distribution of branches of science applications.
PHYSICS - 43 ( 9).
Information Technology and Computer Systems - 42 (16).
Earth Science - 39 (11).
materials science - 39 (5).
medical science and technology -.
Recall, for starters, the ...

According to the regulations of the competition, could qualify for a grant as a Russian scientist and researcher from abroad. The main requirement was that the scientist who will receive a grant, has been managing his laboratory, while in high school for at least four months of the year. What does this rule in this program, easy to understand, bearing in mind that it is intended, primarily, on the so -called ...

To participate in the competition had to submit a joint bid of the scientist and the specific Russian university.

Grant does not pull the pocket.
In Russia, scientists are going to offer a record grants - up to 150 million rubles, to return to a country fellow, who went abroad. The scientific community refers to the idea of ​​mixed. On the one.

For the first time the general public became aware of as they are known in scientific circles, ... The official announcement is the beginning of the program was published on the website of the Ministry on June 23. Applications for participation were to be sent during the month - from June 25 to July 26.

That is, to apply, a scientist in one month (and in the summer!) Had to find a university to agree with him about the proposal and discuss future research and the flow of funds and, importantly, provide the documents adequately.

With a task handled 512 scientists. Because the list is not specified the nationality of the scientist is to determine the exact number of foreigners does not seem possible, but judging by their names, including those applicants, 25 percent. The rest - is the Russian scientists, and by the fact that trace the creative with a few hundred people is not easy enough, yet difficult to say how much of this amount of ... However, there are well-known names - such as, for example, young scientists crystallographer Artem Oganov and biologist Konstantin Severinov, from whose works the science department ... Ru » acquaint its readers.

But the most famous public a wide range of scientists, who claim the grant is likely to become Roald Sagdeev.

He is a director of several unique research programs on space vehicles, and one of the founders of modern plasma physics. During perestroika Sagdeev was fairly well-known figure, but in 1990 he married the granddaughter of former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Susan moved to the U.S..

If you look at the distribution of applications to universities, the big surprise here is not to be - there will be two ahead of the Russian capital, Moscow and St. Petersburg.

In total, the application filed almost 200 educational institutions, and the expected list of leaders headed by the number of grantosoiskateley State University ( 30 applications ) and MIPT with St. Petersburg State University ( to 21 application). Not less than ten applications filed and universities in Novosibirsk, Tomsk, and Kazan.

The most popular areas of research among the bids submitted were physics ( 43 applications ) and information technology with computer systems ( 42 applications ). A little behind the science of earth and materials science ( from 39 nominations ), health science and technology (38 ) and biology ( 37).

In general, for the primary, but an adequate assessment of the consistency of participants needed serious work, which includes at least the definition of each of the citation index grantosoiskateley. The most carefully it is carried out by joint efforts in the research blog of journalist Ivan Sterligov. And from his findings that the number of scientists, which can be unequivocally allocated a grant of the order of 40-50.

That is, there is a real danger that about 30 grants may be distributed not in the best way.

Under the terms of the competition, its winners are to be identified in up to November 1, 2010. Determine the winners will be the group of experts. The Ministry intends to keep the names of the members of the advisory council in a secret, so it is unknown what will be the quality of the examination. Many scholars, commenting on the contest for ...

Accordingly, there is a second question: how to measure the performance of the grant of a laboratory?.



It must be admitted that this grant program is a fairly positive initiative (though by no means certain that followed continued, no). But it is impossible not to acknowledge that the organization of the program, probably in light of the shortage of time, has not escaped the disadvantages.

The next few years will show who was right and that the positive will come out of this scheme for Russian science. And something can probably be said as early as 1 November, when the winners will be announced this contest.

TEXT: Nicholas Podorvanyuk.