Olga Bakhmet presented KarRC RAS as a conglomerate of seven institutes of different profiles and the Department for Multidisciplinary Research - a platform for multidisciplinary projects. The Center's Director General spoke about the scientists' experience of international cooperation. Until 2022, KarRC RAS annually implemented about 50 research projects both with individual countries and as a part of global cooperation. As a rule, the results of the employees' research are published in high-ranking Russian and foreign journals.
International activities are now being redirected toward partners in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
- Within BRICS, cooperation with regional science can be a basis for horizontal links with regions in other countries. We have already contacted scientific organizations in BRICS partner countries and received very favorable response. In particular, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences we have developed a roadmap for a number of activity areas. An online seminar has been held on water topics, we have agreed to exchange leading and young scientists in the near future, and a number of projects are being prepared. There are also plans for cooperation projects with Brazil and India, in particular we cooperate with Indian universities in the field of geology and mathematics. Networking is progressing well within the framework of the Russian-African Network University," Olga Bakhmet outlined the prospects for the work.
According to KarRC RAS Director General, regional science should be given the opportunity to cooperate more actively with colleagues from other countries. This line of activity can be effective for the scientific and technological development of all partner countries.
Director for Science of the National Committee on BRICS Research, Department Chair at MGIMO Irina Yarygina remarked, in her turn: "Science is quite strong in the regions, so your work and research areas can indeed be a good showcase for the development of regional activities related to innovation and scientific technology with our partners from BRICS countries. As a national center for BRICS research, we are happy to collaborate, and we have interesting projects.”
During the conference, an agreement on cooperation between the National Committee on BRICS Research and the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences was signed. It envisages joint projects, conferences and seminars, development of interactions between Russian scientific organizations and foreign think tanks on international research, meetings with leading international experts for students and young scientists, as well as mutual information support. In addition, Karelian Research Centre RAS will take an active part in the implementation of programs and projects initiated by NCR BRICS in Northwest Russia.
– Cooperation with BRICS is a promising and productive sphere. We already work with China and India, less active contacts have so far been established with South Africa and Brazil, but we are committed to work on this as well. Currently, we are discussing the possibility of participating next year in a project related to science, education and youth, focused on the Republic of South Africa, - said the Head of KarRC RAS Department for International Cooperation Pavel Petrov.
KarRC RAS leaders believe it is the multidisciplinary approach to research that can be the basis for utilizing the scientific potential of the Center for the benefit of the region, Russia and other BRICS countries.
Photos by P.V. Petrov / KarRC RAS Department for International Cooperation