Sberbank of Russia

11/26/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/26/2021 04:02

RAS members head academic councils of Sber’s Science Award

Russian Academy of Science members have headed three academic councils of Sber's Science Award, which has a mission to support researchers for the R&D efforts that have considerable potential to impact the progress of science and technology.

Olga Dontsova - a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Department of Chemistry of Natural Compounds with the Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) - headed the Life Sciences academic council. The category also encompasses fields vital to the quality of life, such as biology, medicine, and agriculture.

Alexander Kuleshov - a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences - headed the Digital Universe academic council. The category encompasses mathematics and mathematical economics, computer sciences and informatics. The latter include AI and machine learning, which are among the drivers behind scientific and economic progress.

Alexei Khokhlov - a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences - headed the Physical Sciences academic council. The category is geared toward supporting fundamental sciences, which are vital when it comes to understanding the world and future discoveries in all scientific fields, be it physics, chemistry, astronomy, Earth sciences, or technical sciences.

Albert Yefimov, vice president for research and innovations, Sberbank:

"Established in the Year of Science and Technology in Russia, our awards have a mission to be a source of motivation for the research community to do science in Russia. As a technology company, we strive to support the researchers whose work opens new scientific horizons. I am certain that the renowned scientists who headed the awards' academic councils will help us identify and award the worthiest contenders in each of the three categories."

Three winners will receive RUB 20 mn in prizes. The prize pool of the science award reaches RUB 60 mn. The Award Committee will select the honorees based on the submissions of the Academic Councils of the categories, which will consider all the applications in detail. Co-chairing the Award Committee are Sberbank CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board Herman Gref and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Konstantin Novoselov, a Professor at the National University of Singapore and the University of Manchester. The awards ceremony for the first laureates will be held in March 2022. Further information is available on the official website of the awards.