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President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady Krasnikov: Mr President, thank you very much for finding the time to meet.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: I am glad to see you.

Gennady Krasnikov: First of all, I would like to say that we are very pleased about your decision to run for president.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

Gennady Krasnikov: We have been anticipating this for a long time. I should note that the Russian Academy of Sciences supports your decision. Please consider us part of your team.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

How is it going?

Gennady Krasnikov: Mr President, first of all, I have prepared a presentation for you. I took the one from a year ago and prepared the new one to show the progress achieved over the year. Each new page is accompanied by a slide from last year’s presentation.

The first tasks we set ourselves included integrating into the state decision-making systems as quickly as possible and establishing relations with all branches of power, to ensure that the Academy of Sciences has authority…

Vladimir Putin: …and is a pillar of support.

Gennady Krasnikov: Yes, a pillar of support and the hope of the state, most importantly, thanks to its highly professional and objective expert evaluation.

What have we achieved? Firstly, we have established working relations with all branches of power and, of course, the Government and the Prime Minister.

I should note that these days, we conduct 50 percent more expert reviews, with 66 percent fewer negative reports. This has become possible because our experts are taking a more serious approach to expert reviews and ensuring that they are truly objective.

Secondly, I should mention another important aspect, which is that we now review not only science-related state assignments but also high-tech projects, including ten ‘road maps’ on quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, new materials, and new mobile communication systems.

What other results in this area have we noted? We conducted surveys, and they show that trust in the Academy of Sciences as an institution has increased by four percent. Most importantly, 65 percent of parents want their children…

Vladimir Putin: …to work in science.

Gennady Krasnikov: In science, yes. Scientific and methodological supervision. Last time, I also raised this issue. Firstly, we have started forming a unified scientific space. It is very important that there was a government resolution bringing the Kurchatov Institute under our scientific and methodological supervision. I think this is very important.

Secondly, we have started holding joint meetings between the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Science and the Russian Academy of Sciences in order to synchronise many things, and we have reached an agreement. I raised the issue of abolishing categories for institutions, which was very important.

We have launched many projects, including high-tech scientific projects; now we allocated 4.7 billion rubles per year for our scientific institutes [as part of a competition for financing large projects in priority areas of Scientific and Technological Development].

But I would like to say that in general, the issue of scientific and methodological supervision is focal for us, and I would like to add that I have a separate presentation because we believe that a lot more needs to be done regarding scientific and methodological supervision for the Academy of Sciences. This is our main task today: to ensure deeper planning of scientific research.

Vladimir Putin: This has to be topical.

Gennady Krasnikov: Absolutely. To be in demand. I wanted to elaborate on this later. Secondly, of course, we have increased the role of scientific councils, considering that they do not only include members of the Academy of Sciences, but in fact have leading scientists from sectoral, academic science, high-tech companies; scientific councils bring together scientists from various sectors, almost all that we have in the country.

We have conducted an audit. Here, it says that we have 45 councils under the Presidium. We treat them more importantly. They define their own areas of fundamental research, including monitoring of ‘road maps.’

We have also started initiating major state projects in microelectronics. I would like to elaborate on this as well if there is time. Of course, there are new technologies, especially for the aviation industry. These include composite materials, aerodynamics, and new genetic technology.

Vladimir Putin: Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin reported that he is also investing in this research.

Gennady Krasnikov: When we hold scientific councils or the Presidium, we invite everyone, including them, to consolidate.

Of course, what you are talking about, the main task that we are working on is the demand for scientific results, so that we have a chain from fundamental, exploratory study to R&D work and its application.

We are now working with ministries and departments to achieve this. I can give you many examples here.

Vladimir Putin: Good. Still, fundamental is fundamental.

Gennady Krasnikov: Absolutely.

Vladimir Putin: You may not be able to see the horizon, but you still need to work.

Gennady Krasnikov: Absolutely. And what we are saying is that it is very difficult, sometimes fundamental research is introduced immediately, and sometimes it takes 50 years.

International activities. We have 439 foreign members from 55 countries. Today the academic platform for international researchers has become very comfortable. We have a lot of contacts. As an example: we held the General Meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences and awarded the Lomonosov Gold Medal to outstanding scientists, including a British scientist. He made a report at the General Meeting.

The Assistant Director-General of UNESCO came to us, we awarded the Mendeleev International Prize. Professor Klaus Alexander Müllen came from the Max Planck Institute. It was a grand international event.

Vladimir Putin: Scientists are intelligent people and independent.

Gennady Krasnikov: Yes.

Development of scientific personnel. I said last time. Of course, we are paying a lot of attention here to the postgraduate scientific research studies, the basic department. Today we have gone to schools. We have 108 basic schools of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 32 regions, where 25,000 children study.

I would like to point out that, of course, we are concerned today that very few children pass the Uniform State Exam (EGE) in physics. This is a separate matter, and we are trying to look into it today.

The second point, of course, we would like to raise a question in this regard – until 2018, the Academy of Sciences examined school textbooks. We believe that the expert evaluation of school textbooks should be our responsibility… again.

Vladimir Putin: Did they stop this in 2018?

Gennady Krasnikov: They did, yes.

Vladimir Putin: Why?

Gennady Krasnikov: I tried to investigate this issue.

Vladimir Putin: To answer it.

Gennady Krasnikov: Yes, to find out why. The Academy of Sciences is the main expert community, they always did that, and then….

Vladimir Putin: To be honest, I missed it, it's strange.

Gennady Krasnikov: Yes, I would like to raise this question now.

Vladimir Putin: Of course, it needs to be discussed with the colleagues.

Gennady Krasnikov: As for the St Petersburg branch, I wanted to report that it has been a long story, and on December 20, we were given a building at 5, Universitetskaya Embankment. I know that it was actually on your initiative. Then a Government resolution was issued to amend the charter. And in October, we held the concluding events: elected the new Presidium and the chair of the St Petersburg branch.

Vladimir Putin: There are many scientists, 186 in all.

Gennady Krasnikov: Yes, 186.

So, I wanted to tell you that our St Petersburg branch is working.

Vladimir Putin: I worked nearby, at St Petersburg University.

Gennady Krasnikov: I would like to say a few words about the new territories. I earlier reported that academician Gennady Matishov was elected Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences. We have worked hard and created an association of southern regions, which comprises our Crimean research facilities and those in all new regions: the LPR, DPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye. We constantly hold meetings and deal with all operational issues, including using the experience of Crimea.

The 300^th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a landmark event. I want to note that throughout our 300-year history, we have ensured a line of succession. In 1724, the first 12 academicians were appointed, and since then, we have only done this by way of election, and election always meant continuity. That is, the academicians of the imperial academy elected Soviet academicians, which in turn elected academicians of the new Russia. That is, the line of succession was never interrupted.

This date is important not only to us, it is marked by UNESCO, and it is an international event. We have an event scheduled. The first one will be held on February 8, the day when the Academy was founded by decree of the Emperor.

Then we have a General Meeting in May. In June, we will hold an offsite meeting of the Presidium [in St Petersburg] in the same building that was used by the Academy until 1934. It then relocated here, to Moscow, in 1934. And, of course, we invite you to attend.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

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