Dear colleagues,
I am pleased to present to you the report on the Russian Science Foundation’s performance results for 2021!
Last year was the Year of Science and Technology in Russia, and the RSF contributed a lot to the variety of events. Our grant recipients appeared all over the news and on our TV screens in 2021. They delivered lectures, visited schools, and opened their laboratories to everyone. It is thanks to all this that more eyes than ever were focused on the achievements of Russian science, and the profession of researcher has gained prestige once again.
The year will also be remembered for the work to optimize the activities of key development institutions initiated by the Government of the Russian Federation. New funding programs of the RSF were launched in a spirit of the programs used to be offered by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research such as grants for small research teams and for the projects that benefit respective Russian region. At the same time, the increased amount of the grants and the extended project implementation period allowed RSF grant holders to attend international conferences, to do expeditionary and field work, to gain access to unique research infrastructure, and to pay the costs of publication of research results, without having to seek additional funding.
Like everyone else, the Russian Science Foundation had to live under COVID-related restrictions in 2021. Some of our colleagues in overseas could not come to Russia to carry out joint research, some failed to complete all the tasks under the terms of the grants. We, of course, acknowledged the challenges experienced by grantees, and our reviewers evaluated the projects on a case-by-case basis during the reporting period. All scientific reports were submitted on time, and the research teams received their funding as scheduled. One of the most important decisions last year in terms of supporting scientists was to increase the size of RSF grants to 7 million roubles.
The well-coordinated work of the RSF team allowed us to achieve impressive results in a difficult time. In 2021, the Russian Science Foundation funded 5,300 projects that produced over 14,000 publications in leading scientific journals. The Foundation continued to improve its review processes through yearly rotation of the expert councils members and establishment of a new expert council responsible for regional funding programs.
In closing, I would like to express my gratitude to all the researchers who have demonstrated outstanding results in their work for the advancement of science, society and the economy, as well as to the RSF reviewers, colleagues and trustees. I am confident that we can achieve even greater results next year.
Alexander Khlunov,
Director General, Russian Science Foundation
Russian Science Foundation 2021 Performance Highlights