‘It’s like the Oscars, isn’t it? Our scientists are stars’: top scientists of Tatarstan honoured in Kazan
They have been awarded a total of 5.5 million rubles
Ten best scientists of the republic, who became the first laureates of the republican Scientific Breakthrough. Fenni Alga Kitesh Award, were awarded in Kazan on 11 February. . The award fund in the amount of 5.5 million rubles was provided by the Association for the Promotion of Digital Development. An exhibition of scientific achievements of the republic was also held at the Bashir Rameev IT Park, where innovative projects in medicine, agriculture, information technology, chemistry and other fields were showcased. What peaks of science have been conquered in Tatarstan — read in the material of Realnoe Vremya.
“Our scientists are stars”
That day, the Bashir Rameev Kazan IT Park celebrated Day of Russian Science, which was celebrated on February 8. Rustam Minnikhanov, the rais of the Republic of Tatarstan, congratulated the scientists on their professional holiday. He stressed that Tatarstan retains its position in the top three of the national rating for scientific and technological development.
“Last year, significant efforts were made to improve existing and introduce new methods of financial support for scientists using regional budget funds," said Rustam Minnikhanov. “In Tatarstan, the amounts of named scientific awards has been increased, and serious financial incentives have been established for research projects related to critical and end-to-end technologies. For the first time, a postdoctoral competition was held, with the winners receiving grants to support their doctoral thesis defence. A program has also been developed to improve the living conditions of young scientists.”
One of the new measures was the republican Scientific Breakthrough. Fenni Alga Kitesh Award, established less than a month ago. It is awarded in 10 nominations, covering both young professionals and established pillars of science. One hundred and thirty applications were received from scientists, 21 nominees made it to the final.
“It's like the Oscars, isn't it? In fact, our scientists are stars," said Roman Shaikhutdinov, the deputy prime minister of Tatarstan, presenting the prize in the Digitalisation in Science nomination.
Such a comparison was no coincidence. The best minds of the republic really found themselves in the centre of everyone's attention. Their emotions were broadcast on the big screen during the announcement of the winners and going on stage. Thanks to touching video clips with participants talking about themselves and giving advice to young colleagues, it turned out that the servants of science manage to become the best brain club players, play musical instruments, sing and engage in a number of different sports: from tennis to swimming and hockey.
The award is both a recognition of merit and a sign of trust for the future
Mikhail Varfolomeev, the head of the Department for the development and exploitation of hard-to-recover hydrocarbon deposits at the Kazan Federal University, was recognised as the best scientist. The award was presented to him by Rustam Minnikhanov. The award is both a recognition of merit and a sign of trust for the future, the laureate stressed.
“In the oil and gas sector, we have developed a number of chemical solutions and technologies that can improve production efficiency, reduce costs and environmental risks in the development of oil fields. These developments do not just exist in the laboratory, they are already being used in real fields in Tatarstan, other regions, and abroad," Mikhail Varfolomeev said about his successes, answering a question from Realnoe Vremya.
Now scientists plan to make sure that these developments can be applied in the environment, for example, to eliminate the consequences of emergencies such as the fuel oil spill in the Black Sea. “The chemical reagents that we have developed may be useful there," Varfolomeev believes.
The chief researcher of the Marjani Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan, Lilia Gabdrafikova, became the best scientist-enlightener. “This is a big surprise for me!” she shared her impressions with our publication. Lilia Gabdrafikova emphasised that her path to popularising the history of the Tatar people began with a column for Realnoe Vremya.
“Later, I started my own author blogs. I began to conduct them especially actively during the pandemic. I am engaged in social, everyday history, which is very close to, let's say, an inexperienced reader. I disseminate and popularise the scientific knowledge on which I defended my dissertations and wrote a monograph," said the chief researcher at the Marjani Institute of History.
A special prize of the Academy of Sciences was awarded to Vadim Gorbunov, a cardiovascular surgeon from Kazan who is currently in the LPR. His mother, Irina Gorbunova, received the award on stage.
An exhibition of scientific achievements of the republic was also organised at the Bashir Rameev IT Park. Innovative projects in medicine, agriculture, information technology, chemistry and other fields were presented at the exhibition. For example, the Komarik device was presented, which allows patients to give themselves injections at home.
“The uniqueness of the device lies in its versatility. You can use standard syringes to perform both intramuscular and subcutaneous injections. You can adjust the exact depth of needle insertion and adjust the speed of drug administration," said Artur Zagitov, the director and co-founder of Komarik PLC.
