Monday, April 29, 2013

Radzikhovsky: Election of the Russian Academy of Sciences held in an atmosphere of "Lebanon War" - the Russian newspaper

May 29 at a general meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), is elected president of the Academy.

President selects and presents to the general meeting of the RAS Vice-President and Chief Scientific Secretary of the Academy, directs the work of the Bureau, depend on him Director of the Institute, etc. In short, there is no knowledge of any verticals, but in the Russian Academy of Sciences – is viewed.

RAS – a huge institution, now the Ministry of Science. According to the report, the Chief Scientific Secretary of the General Meeting in May of 2012, at the Academy – 116,000 employees, including in academic institutions – 95,000 (where, in fact, still working 21 000 I honestly did not understand), of which 48,000 researchers. The budget of the RAS in 2011 – 93 billion rubles., Ie more than $ 3 billion (of which the actual budget and the “supplementary budget” funding – about 66 billion). I think that in general, these figures reflect the situation and by 2012 No less than that of comparable organizations in the West – for example, the Max Planck Society in Germany.

presidential election – not flashy, but very real, the struggle between equicardinal candidates with unpredictable results. They take place in several stages. RAS consists of 11 branch (by science) and 3 regional offices. In the general meeting of each division are: academics, and representatives of the Research Institute of the corresponding member (one from each of the Institute). At the first stage, each member of the department may nominate a candidate for president. Then the Bureau of the Department is considering candidacy and pushes one candidate from office. The right to nominate a presidential candidate has also Petersburg Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences. In the second stage of the RAS Presidium considers all nominations and selects one of them (“from the Presidium”).

Finally, the third stage – the election itself. In the list for voting at the general meeting of the RAS include all of the candidates presented by the department, candidate of the Presidium has not – at least formally – no benefits, just his name in the list is the first one. At all stages of the voting shall be by simple majority. After the election of the President of the Presidium of Russian Academy of Sciences formed (president, vice president, chief scientific secretary, academician-secretary of the other members of the Presidium). This is the statute of Sciences.

Now – about the battle of the titans. Candidates – four.

After much discussion, the incumbent president YS Osipov withdraw his candidacy, he did not take off. Osipov (born 1936) was appointed president of Russian Academy of Sciences in 1991, when the USSR was transformed into the Russian Academy of Sciences. Then was elected – in 1996, 2001, 2008. ’22 At the head of the Academy – a record for the last 100 years. But an expert on management theory and the theory of stability however is running again.

JI Alferov. Vice-President and Chairman of the St. Petersburg Scientific Center. Duma deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (although not a party member). But the main thing – one of the country Nobel Prize in science, a national treasure, the only one whose name is known in Russia outside of the scientific community. The obvious disadvantage: Alferov – 83. At that age, anywhere yet, no one has ever been elected for the first time on such a post. Leaders of all the Academy of Sciences of the world, the other major research institutions – people aged 50-70. There are however two exceptions: BE Paton – President of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, he was 94 years old T.V.Gamkrelidze – President of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia, 84 years old. But Paton was elected to his post 50 years ago (!), And Gamkrelidze did 8 years ago …

VEFortov. Physicist, Academician-Secretary of Energy and Mechanical Engineering (it includes, among other things, almost all the leading designers MIC). Director of the Joint Institute for High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences. In the past, and was deputy prime minister (1996-98) and vice-president of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Laureate of State Prize, several international awards. Fortov – 67 years.

AD Nekipelov. Economist, Vice-President of RAS in the social sciences, one of the closest to Osipov. In addition to working at the Academy – Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rosneft, a member of the board of directors of Transneft and Zarubezhneft. Nekipelov – ’62.

Currently supported Fortova 7 units (basic natural science, international relations, Ural, Far East), Alferov – 4 offices (including the Siberian and the St. Petersburg Scientific Center), Nekipelova – 3 (Humanities and Earth Sciences), Osipova – one ( Mathematics).

And again, elections are held in an emergency situation, “the Lebanese war.” Ministry of Education has proved “Livanov theorem”: a tactical union Communist Party – Liberal Democratic Party – the majority of EP – TV – schools – maybe! Unifier became minister. “Could not he have mercy on our glory ;/ Could not understand at this moment bloody / To which he raised his hand”. Starting out “analysis of debris” – inefficient universities, bogus thesis, etc. he has brought down on themselves, almost all walls, which took to rebuild. And the government has turned to one side as the lightning rod (collected over the entire wrath of society), and the other – a headache (“can not be left aside”).

But whatever fate Livanov, saying the fatal words about the “inefficiency of the RAS”, he became its corporate enemy of N 1 (“from ineffective hear!”). And while all of the presidential candidates anyway talking about the need for reform of the RAS, but they are beginning to criticism Livanov. Particularly advantageous position here was in Alferov, who spectacularly resigned as chairman of the Public Council of the Ministry of Education (Forts out of the board). Invigorating atmosphere “defense of academic consciousness” also has an impact on the election of the president of the RAS.

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