Grant to fund Krasnoyarsk trips for Western scientists

Dr. Ernst-Detlef Schulze, a German biologist and former director of the Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, was awarded a “mega grant” from the Russian government in May as part of a drive to attract leading foreign scientists to Russia.  Here, he tells Modern Russia that the funding project has given an “enormous boost” to innovation research projects in Russia, and explains how he will use his 150 million ruble grant to organize study trips for Western scientists to the Krasnoyarsk region.   

Russia has a long history of science and research, however in this field it is perhaps not as highly respected as it today as it once was.  How do you see the current state of science in Russia, particularly in comparison with other countries?

General statements like this are always problematic. There are always fields in which some countries are outstanding, or less prominent, or simply not good enough at the moment. In my area of research, there are definitely fields that have a very high international reputation. The “Tree-ring chronology”, which is important in reconstructing climate events, is one example. The University of Krasnoyarsk and the Institute of Forestry in Krasnoyarsk play leading roles internationally in this field. There are only a few databases which are as complete as theirs. There are further fields which are internationally competitive while help may be needed in others, and that is where we try to assist and support the relevant institutions.

A few weeks ago, you received a “mega grant” of 150 million rubles ($5.4 million) from the Russian government, which aims to bring leading foreign scientists or expatriate Russian scientists to the country.  Do you think this is a good approach, and do you think there are any additional measures that could be taken?

That’s correct. My impression is that this research funding has given an enormous boost to research and increased enthusiasm on the Russian side. This summer, I invited a whole consortium of scientists from Western countries to Krasnoyarsk. The group will undertake a multinational expedition up the Yenisei River and examined dissolved organic carbon. Altogether, 40 scientists will take part in the excursion with nationalities equally distributed between Western Europe and Russia.  So far, the research funding has led to improved communication and to enthusiastic interactions between scientists from Europe and Russia.

By implementing the Skolkovo project, Russian authorities have tried to concentrate the country’s innovative potential in one place. Do you think that this is a promising approach, or will innovation and science centers need to be established all over Russia?

I am not involved in that particular project, but I’m familiar with comparable projects in other parts of the world. Singapore and Hong Kong, for example, both have similar centers. These projects exist all over the world and it is a logical consequence that Russia should try to tread the same path. A center such as Skolkovo is very expensive, and initially it needs to be tested in one place in order to learn what needs to be improved. Only then could a broadened approach be considered. Incidentally, the establishment of federal universities has already achieved a broad impact and they have proved to be very important in addition to the national universities of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

How can scientific inventions be brought to companies so that they themselves can become more innovative?

This question does not directly affect my own field of research since we rarely invent new instruments - we take measurements and collect data with existing devices. But we have repeatedly advised companies how to improve instruments: so while we don’t construct equipment ourselves, we do tell companies what works and what does not work. In this respect, we have too few counterparts in Russia and the devices we need have to be imported from the West. The Russian side should have the will to develop the scientific instrument market, although I realize that this is difficult. The market is almost completely controlled by Western companies.

With its huge taiga and forests, Russia plays an important role in climate protection. Together with a colleague, you conducted research in the 1990s on the role of the taiga for the global climate. What were your results? What has changed?

Our conclusions have not changed much, although some additional points can be made.  As part of a study on the reduction of carbon and trace gas in Europe, we showed in 2010 how important the taiga in European Russia is with regards to carbon reduction. In general, Russia is a huge contributor to the reduction of carbon dioxide because of the vast forests present in the European part of country and in Siberia. We have not yet quantified the effects other trace gases, particularly methane. The mega grant project, which I manage, should bring additional insights to these questions. I hope it will work.