A Guide to the Russian Academy of Sciences - University of Texas ...

graduate students much greater that those offered by the Government, a system of
bonuses has been introduced for researchers taking their Doctorate degree (younger
than 40) and Candidate degree (younger than 30), some institutes cover some or all
the costs of young scientists attending international scientific conferences, the
decision has been made to create a special housing fund for young scientists etc.
About 4,000 researchers have left the SB RAS (200 Doctors and 1600 Candidates of
Sciences). The measures taken by SB RAS helped it to some extent recover its
scientific potential. Over the same period the general number of researchers
reduced only by a thousand people whereas the number of Candidates decreased
only by 420 people, and the number of Doctors even increased by 240 people.
16 international research centers set up by Siberian Branch of RAS and functioning
as non-governmental organizations (as open institutes ) to some extent helped us to
deal with the problem of brain leakage. Some of our scientists come back. Foreign
scientists come to Siberia attracted by unique natural objects, such as Lake Baikal,
Altai mountains, Siberian taiga etc., pioneering experimental plants of the SB RAS
and achievements of some of our scientific teams.
One more difficult problem is the maintenance of the equipment and the largest
experimental plants, such as solar radiotelescope and set of observatories in
Irkutsk, experimental plant for the investigation of space particles in Yakutsk,
system of unique accelerators of elementary particles in Novosibirsk etc. These
plants help us to keep up to the world standards.
It is quite evident, that the SB RAS will not be able to afford creating new centers. That is
why we see our main task in operating and maintaining them and pin our hopes on
the Ministry of Science of the Russian Federation which could provide assistance
also through federal research centeres created by it.
The General Meeting of SB RAS approved the suggestion of the Presidium of SB RAS to
centralize part of the finances in order to coordinate the solution of the problems
common for many of the Institutes.
SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND PRESERVATION OF
RESEARCH CENTERS
Siberian research centers were created in the sixties and represent almost perfectly the
development trends of the world science. Novosibirsk research center became the
prototype of similar towns in Japan and France. Their emergence reflected the new
multidisciplinary approach to the solution of global environmental, energy,
technological and other vital problems of humanity.
Unfortunately, the unique Russian experiment may perish because such a combination of
research, designing, industrial and social infrastructure providing efficient
functioning of the SB RAS over the entire period of its existence now threatens the
very existence of science in the eastern part of the country. SB RAS cannot any
more afford maintaining these complexes and their complete separation from
scientific and designing activity destroy the unified system of research centers. The
situation calls for original decisions on the state level.
Siberian research centers are situated at a considerable (up to 30 km) distance from the city
centers and SB RAS has to maintain the utilities and power structures (large
boilers, 700 km of cable networks, 630 km of water communications and sewage
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