Enlightenment after the "dynasty"

Most of the programs of the closing dynasty fund, including the Enlightener Award, can be continued

October is the last month of the legal existence of the Dynasty Foundation Dmitry Zimin. The 31st of the "Dynasty" will be finally closed , the decision on this was made on the Council of the Fund back in July, after the fund was included in the Minuist in the list of foreign agents. In September, the Liberal Thought Foundation, which fell into it simultaneously with the “dynasty” and also funded by Dmitry Zimin, was excluded from this list. However, Zimin said then that this would not affect his decision to close the educational fund. Nevertheless, there are two news that inspire a certain optimism about the future educational activity in Russia.

The "Enlightener" will not stop

The first of them concerns the brightest public project of the Dynasty-Prizes in the field of popular science literature “Enlightener”. At the press conference last October 6, it was announced that the work of the prize would continue, and not only this year, in continuation of obligations previously taken by the "dynasty", but also in the future.

The soul clung to the “Enlightener” prize

“The soul clung to the“ Enlightener ”award, my son and I thought how to continue. Zimin-Fund as a trust remains abroad, and if there is an operator in Russia who agrees to accept money directly from abroad, and he agrees (this is not political activity), then we will continue our work. The book program is one of the most sympathetic programs of the Dynasty Foundation,” Dmitry Zimin said .

The co -chairman of the Enlightener Award, Alexander Gavrilov, explained in an interview with Radio Liberty that the competition will not only not be closed, but can even be expanded:

The award that Dmitry Borisovich Zimin came up with personally is still connected with his name, with his charity efforts, and Zimin still finances it

- The main thing that happened to the "Enlightener" now is that we managed to maintain continuity, for us this was the most important. The award, which Dmitry Borisovich Zimin was in person to personally, is still connected with his name, with his charity efforts, and still finances Zimin, even after the Dynasty Foundation is trampled by the authorities of the Russian Federation. This year, following the contracts that are still between the "Enlightener" and the closing "dynasty", we do everything, as in previous years. Next year, we will try to make the Enlightener Award a slightly brighter international sound. We feel and see that today the Russian language and the Russian cultural process are not only within Russia, but also much wider. One of our main tasks will reflect this in his work, to turn, on the one hand, by an analytical look, and on the other, a conversation, which always accompanies the “Enlightener” award, to this wide Russian world - sorry for the term that they tried to compromise. This means that we not only plan to accept books written in Russian into the competition, but published outside of Russia, but also discuss the issue and, perhaps, in the end we decide to accept books written by Russian researchers in other languages. For example, Eduard Frenkel’s book “Love and Mathematics”, which is written by him in English and is now translated into Russian, could probably decorate the “Enlightener” award in any quality and status. Finally, we plan to make a conversation about the presentation in the Russian -speaking environment of the achievements of modern science outside the Russian Federation. Perhaps it will be something like small festivals at some points of the globe, where they say a lot in Russian, it can be something similar to what we used to arrange in the Russian regions.

The library program that allows people throughout Russia to touch the modern scientific picture of the world will be preserved and will develop

Gavrilov noted that the library program of the "Enlightener" will be preserved, books - finalists of the competition will be sent for free to Russian libraries:

“We are very grateful to Dmitry Zimin for the fact that during the discussion of the future fate of the award there was never a doubt that the library program that allows people throughout Russia to touch the modern scientific picture of the world completely free and will develop,” said Alexander Gavrilov.

A short list of 2015 Enlightener Awards was announced at a press conference. The nomination "Natural Sciences" included it:

1) Nikolai Andreev, Sergey Konovalov, Nikita Panyunin (editors-compilers). "Mathematical component."

2) Alexander Markov, Elena Naimark. "Evolution. Classical ideas in the light of new discoveries."

3) Alexander Sokolov. "Myths about the evolution of man."

4) Vladimir Surdin (ed.). "Galaxy".

The finalists in the nomination "Humanities" became:

1) Evgeny Anisimov. "Imperial Russia."

2) Julia Kantor. "Sworn friendship. Secret cooperation of the USSR and Germany of the 20-30s."

3) Alexey Yurchak. "It was forever until it ended."

4) Mikhail Yasnov. "Traveling to miracles. A book about children, children's poetry and children's poets."

Prize winners will be announced on November 19.

Evolution "Dynasty"

The second good news concerns the possible continuation of other programs of the closing dynasty fund. At the very beginning of October, as part of the Conference of "Biotechnology of the Future", a round table called "Science in Russia after the" Dynasty "was held, in which scientists took part, the popularizers of science, as well as Dmitry Zimin. The ability of the scientific community to continue the educational projects that had begun by the Authority of the Round Table, a senior employee, a senior employee, was discussed on a round table. Institute of Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Troitsk) and the Astrosmic Center Fian, editor-in-chief of the popular science newspaper Trinity Option-Science " Boris Stern believes that this idea is quite viable:

So far, the country is in such a state that one rich person can more than many not very rich people

- The forces of the scientific community can actually do a lot. Not even scientific, I would say - educational, which includes scientific journalists, teachers and many others. Firstly, you can continue the publishing program. Moreover, Zimin himself, perhaps, will help in this too. It is necessary to create a certain fund-and this is already being done, which will finance the publication of popular science literature. The second of the actions that are actively discussed and pondered is the creation of the All -Russian lecture. Now there are different sites in different cities - Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Murmansk, Kaliningrad. There is an idea to unite, on the one hand, by a general information system, on the other, to create a community of lecturers who are ready to ride and perform at these sites. Of course, this will need financial support - the payment of trips, perhaps, fees. We are talking about the scale of much smaller than Zimin had. So far, the country is in such a state that one rich person can more than many not very rich people. Nevertheless, the case is moving, and a certain fund has already been shot. Dmitry Borisovich himself said that if all this is designed, he will also help, already without the "dynasty".

- Is it possible to say that the educational community that you talked about was largely due to the "dynasty"?

- Certainly. Thanks to the "dynasty" people who participated in competitions and programs supported by the fund recognized each other. It was not the only, but the most bright and powerful point of crystallization.

- Is there already a name for the new fund that is being created now?

“The working name is“ evolution ”, it is not final, but so far the most consensus,” said Boris Stern.