They write to us

The editors asked the deputy director of the IRE RAS, corresponding member, to comment on the article by I. L. Bronevoy. RAS S. A. Nikitova

Dear Editor-in-Chief!
Dear Colleagues!

I received an invitation from the respected M. S. Gelfand on the pages of TrV-Nauka to answer the questions posed in the previous and present articles by Mr. I. L. Bronevoy. My first desire was not to get involved in a meaningless skirmish and, most importantly, not to waste time. However, taking into account, in my opinion, the social danger emanating from gentlemen like Bronevoy, I considered it necessary to answer Mr. Bronevoy’s questions, and, most importantly, try to protect both science and the Russian Academy of Sciences from the attacks of such gentlemen.

The situation described in the articles is inflated around the installation that Mr. Bronevoy writes about. However, this situation was created by himself. For more than six years, Mr. Bronevoy has been parasitizing on this situation. The installation, as Bronevoy writes in his second article, “was ordered for an apparently new fundamental phenomenon discovered by the author and his collaborators.” The main essence of this statement is the word “apparently”. Bronevoy decided that he was the author of a new fundamental phenomenon. And if so, it means that everyone around him should do everything possible to ensure comfortable scientific work. It should be noted that this is how it happened until recently. The leadership of our Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics named after. V. A. Kotelnikov RAS (then just IRE RAS) in 2003 considered it possible to contact the President of the RAS with a request to allocate currency for the purchase of equipment from which it would be possible to assemble an installation for Bronevoy. The request was initiated by Bronevoy, of which there is written evidence. Unfortunately, in my opinion, Bronevoy in 2003 I didn’t fully understand why he needed such a setup, since the first application lacked the streak camera that Bronevoy needed. Therefore, two years later, he initiated a letter asking for money to be allocated for more expensive equipment, which, in particular, was equipped with a streak camera. All subsequent events are connected with the fact that Bronevoy demanded only one thing: the installation must be assembled by suppliers, and it must produce the results that Bronevoy needs in order, apparently, to prove that he really discovered a new physical phenomenon, and in fact - his genius. There were continuous demands: “I have a new installation,” “I need new premises (office). The office must be renovated, equipped with furniture and office equipment.” All this was provided by the Institute. “I need a new laser - I demand money to buy a new laser.” The laser has been purchased. Now he needs rates and working people.

As for the other questions that Bronevoy poses in his article, again they demonstrate his attitude towards the world around him. If he claims to be the author of a new physical phenomenon, then as a good researcher he is obliged to prove the existence of this phenomenon by all possible means. Instead, he tries, again in every possible way, to explain that he needs a new streak camera, now produced at the IOF. A. M. Prokhorov RAS. This again requires money. Now 6 million rubles. I understand well now that the equipment obtained by Bronev works and can help obtain worthy scientific results. But, realizing that no one else at our Institute will be able to use this equipment, precisely from the point of view of its more efficient use, we proposed to transfer this equipment to other RAS teams.

There are many complaints against Bronevoy from the point of view of organizing scientific research in the team he leads. He came to our institute in 1983 and within two years managed to quarrel with the staff of the department to which he was accepted. Since then, his scientific group has consisted of three people: Bronevoy, his wife and another employee. During all this time, he had one graduate student who was forced to quit graduate school due to a personal relationship with Bronev. Now a young employee has been assigned to Bronevoy to create the installation software. Until recently, for 6 years, Mr. Bronevoy had grants from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, but he considered submitting applications for the possibility of financing scientific research of his group to other ministries and departments, including the Russian Academy of Sciences for programs to support fundamental research, apparently below his dignity, being confident that he should be given everything anyway.

You can critically examine both articles by Bronevoy, in which there is a lot of slyness, distortion and inaccuracies. I don’t want to deal with this, I note that this is not only my opinion, Bronevoy’s style is akin to the way some characters acted in 1937.

I should note that our institute is one of the largest in the RAS, operating quite successfully. Over the past 5 years, the institute has been allocated funds to purchase imported equipment in an amount 25 times higher than the cost of the Bronevoy installation. This equipment was successfully purchased, with its help world-class results have already been obtained, which is recognized not only by the “owners” of the equipment themselves, but also by the global scientific community. In most cases, such equipment does not belong to a specific laboratory, but to the Center for Collective Use. With the help of the equipment, truly unique installations are created by the employees themselves, many of whom are young specialists and graduate students.

Due to my social work (I am the scientific secretary of the RAS Commission for improving the structure of the RAS and a member of the RAS Commission for working with youth), I have to deal with problems that exist in the RAS, which are similar to those that we have at our institute. But these problems are inherent in our entire society. Our common task is to find the fastest and optimal solution to these problems. Unfortunately, Bronevoy and similar characters, in my opinion, are only trying to “muddy the waters” in order to hide their own inadequacy.

Bronevoy, in his second article, apparently reproached me for being one of the winners of the Megagrant, won in a competition held by Rosobrnauka. As I understand it, today the entire global scientific community has agreed that this competition was held openly, honestly and in accordance with international standards. I was selected as the winner along with other wonderful scientists. I attribute this success to those teams in which I was lucky enough to study and work - Moscow Physics and Technology and IRE RAS. I relate to my teachers and colleagues at the IRE RAS, and first of all to my teacher and our director Yu. V. Gulyaev, to the entire RAS, where I have the honor of being elected as its corresponding member.

I would like to continue to spend time only on science and scientific communication. There is still a lot of interesting things ahead. Sincerely,

WITH. Nikitov,
Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
deputy the director
IRE named after. VA. Kotelnikov RAS

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conclusions

The commission created by Order of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences No. 10280N 886 dated October 6, 2010 in connection with the appeal of the chief researcher of the Institution of the Russian Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics named after. V. A. Kotelnikov RAS (IRE RAS) Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences I. L. Bronevoy to the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation

17.11.2010

The Commission of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), created by Order of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences No. 10280-886 dated October 6, 2010 in connection with the appeal of the chief researcher of the Institution of the Russian Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics named after. V.A. Kotelnikov RAS (IRE RAS) Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences I.L. Bronevoy to the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation and consisting of leading scientists in the field of laser physics and optoelectronics, reviewed the materials presented by the IRE RAS, the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "V/O "Academin-torg" RAS", scientific consultants and experts from Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov, heard the opinions of the general director of the engineering company S&I Spectroscopy & Imaging GmbH (S&I GmbH) and the general director of Optronis GmbH, a manufacturer of streak cameras, and came to the following conclusions:

1. Appeal from I.L. Bronevoy on the blog of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev with accusations against the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "V/O "Academintorg" RAS" for supplying to the IRE RAS in an unusable condition "Installation for analyzing the spectrum of optical radiation based on a double spectrograph SpectraPro 2500i for the analysis of ultra-fast nonlinear dynamics electron-hole plasma included” (Installation) is groundless. What is stated in it is not true. The installation is actually used by I.L. Bronev in work carried out at the laboratory of the Institute of Energy and Energy of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

2. Representatives of foreign companies in their speeches confirmed the operability of the Installation. Similar systems are successfully used in other institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

3. When preparing an import order, I. L. Bronevoy was not ready for the qualified formation of specifications for the purchased Installation due to a lack of understanding of the technology of conducting scientific experiments, which led to delays not only in the configuration and acquisition of equipment, but also to further ineffective its use. Thus, responsibility for the irrational use of budget funds lies entirely with the IRE RAS and personally with I. L. Bronev.

4. IRE RAS has no complaints about the work of the FSUE “V/O Akademintorg RAS”. For all other projects, there is complete mutual understanding between the IRE RAS and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "V/O "Academintorg" RAS." IRE RAS believes that the installation supplied to I. L. Bronevoy is operational in its parameters.

5. The statement by I. L. Bronevoy about the non-transparency of spending budget funds in the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences and about corruption schemes for the purchase of scientific equipment is completely unfounded and occurs due to his ignorance of the procedure established in the Russian Academy of Sciences for considering orders from the Institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the divisions of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, forming a procurement and acquisition plan imported scientific equipment. In the acts of the annual inspection by the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "V/O Akademintorg RAS" (2005 - 2010), not a single case of misuse of budget funds or violation of pricing was recorded. In the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, regulatory documents establish strict control over the expenditure of budget funds.

6. Due to the fact that to date, the IRE RAS does not have the conditions not only for the further effective use of the Installation, but also for testing its full functionality (the lack of an appropriate laser source and a special laboratory room), and there is also no clarity as to when If these conditions are created, the commission considers it appropriate to recommend that the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences consider the issue of transferring this Installation to another institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, engaged in research on similar scientific topics and having all the conditions for its effective use.

7. The Commission considers it necessary to recommend to the management of the IRE RAS to conduct a thorough investigation of this case and strengthen control over the validity and expediency of purchases when ordering expensive imported equipment, as well as the availability of conditions and the level of preparedness of scientific staff for its use.

Signatures of the commission members:

S. N. Bagaev, academician, director of the Institution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Laser Physics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, chairman

M. I. Yalandin, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Chief Researcher of the Institution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Electrophysics, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Z. F. Krasilnik, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Director of the Institution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physics of Microstructures of the Russian Academy of Sciences

M. N. Mizerov, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Director of the Institution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific and Technological Center for Microelectronics and Submicron Heterostructures of the Russian Academy of Sciences

A. A. Ionin, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, head of the laboratory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Physical Institute named after. P.N. Lebedev RAS

V. D. Kulakovsky, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Deputy Director of the Institution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Solid State Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Yu. G. Kusraev, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Head of the Department of Solid State Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Physics and Technology named after. A.F. Ioffe RAS

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From the editor

We do not believe that we are competent to judge the scientific side of the conflict in the IRE. However, neither in the response of S. A. Nikitov, nor in the published decision of the PRAN commission led by S. N. Bagaev (to whom we also asked for comments) we found answers to the questions that seem to us to be key in this situations.

First of all, does the installation received by the institute meet the requirements of the technical specifications? The commission’s decision states that “The installation is actually used in the work carried out at the IRE by L. I. Bronev” (clause 1) and that “representatives of foreign companies in their speeches confirmed the operability of the installation” (clause 2), but at the same time it is stated that “at the IRE RAS there are no conditions not only for the further effective use of the Installation, but also for checking its full functionality” (clause 6). I wonder if it’s only us who think that these points slightly contradict each other?

It is also impossible not to pay attention to the fact that the commission, having heard “representatives of foreign companies,” pointedly refused to listen to I. L. Bronevoy himself, and also did not involve independent experts. The management of IRE now claims that it has no claims against Akademintorg, but this contradicts the above and other documents available to the editors, as well as the fact that the act of acceptance of the installation into operation has not yet been signed. Has anything changed recently? What?

In the absence of a clear answer to these questions, we see no reason to believe that the cause of the conflict can be reduced entirely to the human qualities of I. L. Bronevoy, as S. A. Nikitov writes, or to the former’s lack of understanding of “techniques for conducting scientific experiments,” as the commission decided .

In the time since the publication of the first article about Akademintorg, we have heard many similar stories, but always with a promise not to write about them. From everything that happened, it is clear that it works out better this way. But something else is also clear: as long as the scientific community as a whole and each of its representatives individually endure in silence, at best telling each other funny and scary stories in smoking rooms, we will be treated like this. Because we deserve it.