The second stage of the large-scaled competition to attract top scientists in the Russian universities resulted in the opening of three laboratories at NSU by world-renowned scientists. This year there were 517 applications from 176 Russian universities submitted at the competition.

In the second competition leading scientists along with NSU submitted 19 applications and after the selection only three of them were supported. As a result, three scientists will conduct their research at NSU: astrophysicist Alexander Dmitrievich Dolgov (Astronomy and Astrophysics), a Dutch physicist Kemal Hanyalich (Energy, Power Efficiency and Conservation) and a chemist from the Netherlands Robert Kapteyn (Chemistry).

“Specific research areas for cooperative laboratories are being reconciled at present, and later, when the leading scientists come, the subject areas will need some specifications, - said Vice-Rector for Research Sergei Viktorovich Netesov, - Each grant application states several scientific areas, but we need to specify the schedule because something has already changed in these scientific areas since the application date (over period of three months).”

The first meeting with the leading scientists will take place approximately in October and at the beginning of November when the program financing starts. At that time we will start laboratory preparations and equipment purchase. Close collaboration with scientists will continue till the end of 2013. It should be noted that scientists must personally guide the research and laboratories at least 4 months per year. The scientist is obliged to guide scientific research and to represent scientific report on research made, while the University is obliged to ensure conditions for research implementations.

“Megagrants are very good initiative. They give us an opportunity to work with leading scientists, adopt foreign experience and implement it into unique knowledge,” - says Sergei Viktorovich

It should be mentioned that according to the first stage of megagrant competition, conducted last year, there are other three scientists already working at NSU: V.E. Zakharov, an outstanding theoretical physicist; M. Andreas Tumm, a well-known specialist in microwave physics and P.M. Chumakov, a cancer microbiology specialist. Three laboratories are actively working nowadays, while students are getting involved into this process. Also there are some positive results. There have already been first positive outcomes of this work.

For instance, the first applications for inventions take place in the microbiological laboratory under the guidance of M. Chumakov. Two scientific articles have already been published according to the grant research area. Two major scientific institutions are involved into the work on subcontract basis: Lerner Research Institute in Cleaveland clinic (USA) and State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology “Vector”. After reconstruction, the microbiological and virological laboratory will be ready for further research in December. At the same time one of the chairs is being upgraded while students take their internships in research and educational centers jointly with the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and SSC VB “Vector”.