On February 28, 2013, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science announced Skoltech as a semifinalist in the third public contest for the Mega-grants competition, which provides financial support to research projects.
The competition attracted 719 applications from universities, research institutes of the Academies of Sciences, and federal research centers. In preparing these proposals, leading Russian scientists collaborated closely with their foreign counterparts from over 40 countries.
Two applications met the Commission requirements for tender documentation, compliance with the corresponding regulation standards and special criteria defined by the Mega-grants Committee, and therefore successfully passed the first round. The successful projects are in the following research areas:
- Mechanisms that Control Lifespan
- Center for Quantum Modeling of Correlated Systems
The Committee will next assess the selected proposals on the following criteria: a) the work experience and scientific achievements for leading scientists; (b) the long-term viability of the results from the research projects; and (c) the host organization’s current status and development potential as well as the promising potential for a laboratory established through the project.
The final results of the Mega-grants are expected to be announced by April 25, 2013.
Background:
The Russian Government provides mega-grants of up to 90 million rubles ($3 million) to support research projects for three years (2013 – 2015) with the possibility of being renewed for another two years. In order to attain the funding, participants must raise additional research funding of at least 25% of the amount of the grant from non-federal budget sources. Upon attaining a mega-grant, Skoltech has committed itself to financing 50% of the project.
The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) is a private graduate research university in Skolkovo, Russia, a suburb of Moscow. Established in October 2011 in collaboration with MIT, Skoltech educates global leaders in innovation, advances scientific knowledge and fosters new technologies to address critical issues facing Russia and the world. Applying international research and educational models, the university integrates the best Russian scientific traditions with twenty-first century entrepreneurship and innovation.
