Russian Government "Megagrant" Competition for Research Projects Implemented in Russia

Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation notifies of an open competition for grants of the Government of the Russian Federation for state support of scientific research conducted under the auspices of leading scientists in Russian educational institutions of higher education, scientific institutions subordinate to the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations, and state scientific centers of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as «the competition»).

The organizer of the competition is the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as «the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russia»).

Grants of the Government of the Russian Federation are allocated in an amount of up to 90 million rubles each for conducting scientific research over 3 years (2018–2020).

Russian educational institutions of higher education (hereinafter referred to as «educational institutions») or scientific institutions subordinate to the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations or state scientific centers of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as «scientific organizations») can enter the competition in collaboration with a Russian or foreign leading scientist occupying one of the top positions in a particular field of studies.

Applications for participation in the competition should be submitted in Russian and English languages.

Applications for participation in the competition should be submitted before 18 hours 00 minutes (Moscow time) 14 July 2017. Applications for participation in the competition received by the organizer of the competition after the specified deadline will not be reviewed and evaluated.

Winners of the competitions will be determined no later than 15 November 2017.

Requirements for participants of the competition

Russian educational institutions of higher education (hereinafter referred to as «educational institutions») or scientific institutions subordinate to the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations or state scientific centers of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as «scientific organizations») can enter the competition in collaboration with a Russian or foreign leading scientist occupying one of the top positions in a particular field of studies.

Individuals who submit a joint application for the competition, are treated as a single applicant for the purposes of the competition.

A leading scientist can participate in one scientific research project. Number of scientific research projects conducted on the grounds of one educational institution or scientific organization is not limited.

The following types of applicants can not enter the competition:

• leading scientists who were winners of competitions for grants of the Government for state support of scientific research conducted under the direction of leading scientists in Russian educational institutions of higher education, scientific institutions subordinate to the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations, and state scientific centers of the Russian Federation in 2010 – 2016;
• leading scientists who are members of the Council, as well as members of the competition commission formed by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation to conduct the competition;
• leading scientists who are managing projects (as chiefs of departments of complex scientific programs of the organization) supported by the Russian Scientific Foundation if their projects will not be finished until 31 December 2017;
• educational or scientific institutions in respect of which a decision has been made to dissolve such an organization or to merge it into another organization.

Leading scientists who have been in labour relationship with companies situated in a particular region of the Russian Federation since 2016 and until the day the tender documentation was published, cannot submit an application in collaboration with educational or scientific organizations situated in that region of the Russian Federation.

Requirements for scientific research projects and order of conducting the projects

Scientific research projects offered in an application should not repeat scientific research project conducted in the current or preceding periods using funding from the budget of the Russian Federation or other sources.

A scientific research project should be aimed at solution of particular tasks outlined in the Strategy of Scientific and Technological  Development of the Russian Federation. A scientific research project should allow to obtain scientific and technological results and to create technologies laying basis for innovational development of the goods and services internal market and assuring stable position of Russia on the international market. A scientific research project should make possible:

• transfer to state-of-the-art digital, intellectual manufacturing technologies, robotics systems, new materials and construction methods, creation of big data processing systems, machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions;
• transfer to ecologically friendly and cost-effective energy generation, improving efficiency of extraction and deep processing of crude hydrocarbons, formation of new sources, ways to transfer and store energy;
• transfer to personalised medicine, high-tech healthcare and health protection technologies, including by means of rational application of medications (first and utmost, antibacterial medications);
• transfer to highly productive and ecologically friendly agriculture and aquaculture, development of systems to rationally apply means of chemical and biological protection of agricultural plants and animals, storage and efficient processing of agricultural products, creation of safe and high quality nutritional products (including functional nutritional products);
• countermeasures against anthropogenic, biogenic, social and cultural threats, terrorism and ideological extremism, as well as cyberthreats and other sources of danger to society, economy and the state;
• connectivity between regions of the Russian Federation by means of creating intellectual transport and telecommunication system; achieving and maintaining top positions in the field of transport in logistics systems, exploration and utilisation of outer space and airspace, the World Ocean, the Arctic and the Antarctic;
• opportunity for the Russian society to effectively meet, using methods of humanitarian and social sciences, major challenges concerning interaction of humans with the nature, humans with technologies, social institutes on the modern stage of global development.

A research team formed by a leading scientist to conduct scientific research in an educational institution should include, for the whole duration of the research project, at least 2 candidates of sciences, at least 3 post-graduate students and 3 students studying at the educational institution on the grounds of which the scientific research project is conducted.

A research team formed by leading scientist to conduct scientific research in a scientific institution should include, for the whole duration ofthe research proj ect, at least 3 candidates of sciences and at least 4 post-graduate students studying at the scientific institution on the grounds of which the scientific research proj ect is conducted.

Share of young scientists (of age up to 39 years inclusive) in a scientific team should be at least 50 per cent for the whole duration of the research project.

Replacement of key members of a research team is allowed only in extraordinary situations by written notice of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia provided that the skilllevel of the research team will not be reduced as a result of such a replacement. At the same time, requirements for research teams listed above still apply.

Research projects should be coordinated by the leading scientist at the hosting organization. The leading scientist should be physically present at the hosting educational institution or scientific institution :

• for leading scientists constantly or predominantly residing outside of the Russian Federation – at least 120 days (aggregate) each year during the period of the scientific research project;
• for leading scientists constantly or predominantly residing in the Russian Federation – at least 180 days (aggregate) each year during the period of the scientific research project;
• for leading scientists residing in Moscow or the Moscow Region and submitting an application to conduct a scientific research project in an educational institution or a scientific institution situated in Saint Petersburg or the Leningrad Region – at least 360 days each year during the period of the scientific research project;
• for leading scientists residing in Saint Petersburg or the Leningrad Region and submitting an application to conduct a scientificresearch project in an educational inst itution or scientific institution situated in Moscow or the Moscow Region – at least 360 days each year during the period of the scientific research project;

The educational institution or scientific organization should:

• ensure continuous funding of the research project according to an approved cost estimation for the research project;
• provide space for conducting the scientific research in acceptable condition; ensure that the research team has access to experimental equipment necessary to the conduct scientific research project;
• to sign general contracts or labour agreements with the leading scientist and members of the research team;
• to pay rewards to members of the research team for conducting the scientific research project in accordance with amount and quality of work of each member of the research team.