About the future of the Russian Academy of Sciences

President Vladimir Putin proposed to introduce a number of “conceptual” amendments to the resonant bill on the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences. What changes were initiated by Vladimir Putin and what will happen to the wounds - The New Times asked her President Vladimir Fortov:

There were a lot of amendments. There were amendments on the merits and form. So, in essence, I would say that all the problems that bothered the scientific community are taken into account due to the direct instruction of the president. He sided with science.

At a meeting with President, Vladimir Fortov asked not to rush with the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences

In the initial version of the law, it was assumed that instead of three structures-the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences-a social-state organization-the Russian Academy of Sciences will be created. Will the merger be?

Will. We did not like the first option. We understood that mechanical merging would not benefit and we need to look for a different form. Now the merger will not occur under the leadership of officials, but by scientists themselves, as a result of the exchange of opinions. It will not be barracks.

What other significant changes have been made?

The authors of the previous document actually wrote that RAS ceases to exist. Our main claim was this: the bill suggested the separation of scientists, members of the Academy - they are allocated to the interests of the interests - and the scientific team, where, in fact, scientific work will be carried out. If such things are divided, this will lead to the fact that there will be neither academicians nor scientific work. The new document says that the Academy of Sciences will be directly engaged in science, and another structure will be purely technical things. That's all.

That is, the property management agency will be created?

Yes, but it will work under the control of scientists. The president suggested that I be his leader at the initial stage. I agreed.

Thanks to the changes made, the wounds will continue its work under the management of scientists, not officials. In general, there are still a lot of innovations about the merger of the academies, but the main thing is that scientists will do this.

And now you are not worried about the future of the wounds?

I worry, of course! But now it all has come to the constructive line. We proceed from the fact that the Academy should change, but science should have been in the first place. We were all united in the fact that the old version was not suitable. And the president listened to us.

Who was the initiator of this bill in the government?

I can't say that. I was surprised that the Minister of Education and Science, who all the time discusses this issue, said that he has nothing to do with this. Then I just don't understand who else could be. I am very confused that the authorship of this law is hiding. I would like to talk with this person.

On July 3, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets performed in the State Duma, and, according to her, 56% of real estate objects of the Russian Academy of Sciences were not properly registered, and elite real estate is being built on the lands that belong to the academy. This is true?

How much I live, I hear these accusations so much. A few days ago I sent an official request to the Accounts Chamber with a request to give me explanations on this topic. The fact is that the Russian Academy of Sciences check a lot of organizations, write us instructions, we fulfill them and eliminate errors. I asked to officially submit to me all the claims based on the results of the checks. That's when they will be on my table, then I can judge how much this is true.