Plenary Session of the Future Technologies Forum at Moscow's World Trade Centre

Putin as Promoter yet again.

It seems like this event just happened, but that just reflects how fast time goes by for me nowadays. The topic of discussion is new materials and chemistry. This year, the national Technology Leadership Project of the same name is being launched. Its goal is to create infrastructure and conditions for the production of chemical and biotechnological products, new composite materials, rare and rare earth metals. After the session. Putin and select others toured the exhibits to see some examples of what was discussed. Then we are told he held further discussions with more scientists, which I hope we get the transcript of as I’m sure it will also be fascinating. But first, the Plenary Session:

Vladimir Putin: Thank you, thank you.

Dear colleagues and friends,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am glad to welcome the participants of the Third International Forum of Future Technologies. According to the established tradition, here, on this platform, the cutting-edge frontiers of scientific research are outlined, ideas are discussed that are still being crystallized, weighed in laboratories and research centers, but very soon, I have no doubt, they will be transformative and transform the world.

The topic of the current forum is chemistry and application of new materials. These are really extensive, as they often say today, cross-cutting areas, they largely determine the movement of humanity forward, the implementation of the most ambitious plans of engineers and designers.

Now rapid changes are taking place in these areas, which, in turn, create the ground, "spur" the next, even more revolutionary discoveries–-in healthcare, industry, microelectronics, in the creation of unmanned systems, in all areas without exception.

It is quite obvious that in order to be among the leaders in key areas of scientific and technological development, and this is the task we set for ourselves, we need to achieve, among other things, superiority in the field of chemistry and in the creation of new materials.

This means that we need to offer competitive price and quality, and most importantly–-innovative solutions and products, have our own, unique technological keys that will allow us to produce and export to global markets not primary raw materials, but products of the highest standards.

I would like to emphasize that in our history we have experience in solving problems of the same scale and significance. In the 60-70s of the XX century, largely due to the efforts of Leonid Kostandov–-this name is not known to many people today, few people remember, but among specialists they will probably immediately respond to this surname and name. He was the Minister of Chemical Industry of the USSR. That's when hundreds, hundreds of advanced factories were launched, specialized research institutes and design bureaus were created. In terms of total production, the Soviet chemical industry ranked first in Europe and second in the world.

However, this legacy has largely been squandered and wasted. I say this with great regret. It's a shame, to be honest; it's a shame in front of those people who put their whole lives into creating the chemical industry of the Soviet Union, worked for future generations, lived in offices, and moved their offices "on wheels". They lived in railway wagons, moving all over the vast territory of the Soviet Union–-from one republic to another. They were malnourished, did not get enough sleep, and created the chemical industry of the USSR.

Unfortunately, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the most important enterprises were stopped, and sometimes even simply destroyed, their equipment was taken out and cut up for scrap. Together with the degradation of our own chemical industry, we have also fallen into a strong external dependence, lost a significant part of industrial and technological sovereignty, so we understand from our negative experience what systemic problems vulnerability in the field of chemistry leads to.

We had to literally rebuild many technological and production chains, build new enterprises in order to independently produce deep-processing products. So, in the Tyumen Region, new capacities were built on the basis of the Tobolsk Petrochemical Plant, and in 2019 the modern ZapSibNeftekhim petrochemical plant was launched. Construction of the Amur Gas Chemical Complex and other enterprises is underway, which will significantly increase the production of polymers–-a key product of oil and gas chemistry—in the coming years.

I will also add that after cleaning and recultivating the territory in the city of Usolye-Sibirsky in the Irkutsk region, we plan to create a modern federal center for low- and medium-tonnage chemistry here. For people who are not directly connected and are far from the specifics of the industry, I will say that we are talking about the production of special chemical products in small but necessary volumes–-resins, solvents, and so on–-without which it is simply impossible to develop microelectronics, pharmaceuticals, and many other critical areas.

Catalysts are also a cross-cutting direction. This is the basis of the basics of chemistry--substances that determine the rate of reaction. It is important to ensure not only development, but also subsequent testing, pilot production, and then widespread industrial use and scaling of domestic solutions.

To support such projects, a special scientific and technological cluster is already being formed on the basis of the famous Boreskov Institute of Catalysis in Novosibirsk. This is a major step in the development of the entire Siberian scientific agglomeration as one of the key centers for creating future technologies in the field of chemistry.

Dear colleagues!

To meet the dynamics of progress and global competition, we need to multiply the potential of the domestic chemical industry and related industries, build a full cycle from the search and development of new deposits, including rare and rare earth metals, mining and deep processing of minerals, to the production of high-tech products with high added value.

There is a lot to work here. We basically have everything we need. You just need to do it purposefully, create business conditions, and invest in infrastructure. Lithium is still not extracted. But what about without it? This is obvious to experts. And we can do it. And we could have done it 10-15 years ago.

We need to solve these problems at a fundamentally new technological level, applying achievements in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics, and other tools aimed at increasing labor productivity, including in science. Our significant advantage should also be the available energy of one of the world's largest networks of nuclear, hydro and thermal power plants, which allows us to build production facilities in many regions of our country. Of course, this should be done in compliance with the most stringent environmental regulations, using modern environmentally friendly solutions.

The areas I am talking about are complex and of paramount importance. Therefore, in the field of new materials and chemistry, a new national project of technological leadership was launched this year. It is planned to allocate almost 170 billion rubles from the federal budget alone for its implementation from 2025 to 2030. At the same time, the amount of investment by companies in the real sector of the economy may amount to about one trillion rubles. I think that this is quite, absolutely realistic thing. I sometimes meet with managers and owners of companies who have very ambitious and good plans. And I like this attitude–-people's eyes are burning. Great, we will continue to support and set up mechanisms to support private investment, including in the research and development sector.

I have repeatedly said that external problems and sanctions, despite all the challenges and difficulties, have played an important stimulating role for us. Russian companies are now increasingly turning to our scientists and receiving much assistance from them. Moreover, domestic solutions are often more effective than their foreign counterparts.

In order to provide a modern legal framework for cooperation between researchers and qualified customers, the law "On Technological Policy" was adopted and comes into force this summer.

I have already said and set the following task: together with business, we need to increase funding for science to two percent of GDP. It is extremely important to direct all additional resources to support promising, breakthrough areas of scientific and technological development. For example, in the field of chemistry and new materials, it would be shortsighted and wrong to be content with simply replacing technological processes that have already been mastered somewhere else, abroad. What is important, of course, you need to keep everything in mind, use all the achievements, but you need to develop your own platforms. My colleagues promised me that now they will show us how we are going and where we are going at a specialized exhibition.

As we agreed last December at the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects, we need to develop plans in key areas that will ensure the country's superiority, including in the field of chemistry and modern materials science. It is important to identify global, leading scientific organizations that will take responsibility for conducting basic research, companies that will implement future technologies, and build training in the field of chemistry for the tasks of technological leadership, and at all levels of education–-from schools to universities.

Unfortunately, the number of chemistry teachers in our schools is decreasing. The number of students who choose chemistry as the main basic discipline is decreasing. The percentage of chemistry teachers over the age of 65 is increasing. In higher education institutions, we need to look at what is happening in the most careful way.

I ask the Russian Academy of Sciences, representatives of business, professional, scientific, and educational communities to be involved as much as possible in forming such plans.

It is important that we continue to work together as real partners and understand our responsibility for the results. They depend on the implementation of all national projects of technological leadership, without exception, our plans for the Far East, Siberia, and the Arctic–-for the development of all regions of the Russian Federation, and, of course, solving problems of safety and improving the quality of life of people.

There is nothing to say about security, I have already spoken out publicly and talked about it. Here the whole world is talking about "Hazel". And what materials! The temperature on the warheads corresponds to the temperature on the surface of the sun. We understand that since the 80s, we have been developing systems for a gliding flying unit. We called it "Avangard". There are comparable temperatures, slightly less than on the surface of the sun. At the end of the 80s, they also thought about making such systems. They couldn't, because there were no materials. That was the problem. It flies and melts like a popsicle, and the control signal goes through. These are the results of working on new materials.

Just as our joint agreements on MS-21–300 were closed to us quite unreasonably at the time. Thanks to the specialists of Rosatom, we made materials for both the wing and fuselage. Yes, the project moved a little to the right, but we did everything with our own hands, with our own head, and everything went well. We need to work together just as actively and creatively in all other areas.

I ask the Government to think about how we can regulate the interaction between our enterprises and those of our competitors in order to provide national producers with certain advantages. Yes, within the framework of the WTO, but nevertheless we have had some difficulties, and we can regulate the return of those who want to return to our market accordingly. Creating and maintaining advantages for your own manufacturers. It is necessary to do this subtly, carefully, but it must be done without fail.

Denis Valentinovich [Manturov], is sitting nodding his head. We talked about this with him. I've already talked about this: just like in the field of agriculture, when agricultural producers begged us: "Just don't let anyone enter our market, we'll do everything ourselves." Well, except for bananas, of course. But they also started growing bananas. A little expensive, but not necessary. And in the field of industrial production, we absolutely need to think through everything and take it very carefully, so as not to lose the potential created by our detractors who imposed sanctions against us.

I have already mentioned this, with a few more examples: in order to develop the machine and aircraft industry, the rocket and space program, we will need composite materials and alloys with unique characteristics. New plant protection products—from a different field—to address food security challenges. Long-lasting, long-term, secure energy transmission and storage systems—for drones, for new modes of transport. Stronger and more energy-efficient materials for the construction industry to adapt to climate change. New compounds, biomaterials and prototypes of human organs and tissues-for the introduction of advanced treatment methods in healthcare.

I repeat, I mentioned only certain directions. At the same time, the lack of results even for one of them, that's what I want to emphasize, as they say, as a thread will pull down all other projects. Here I gave an example of the MS-21-300, we did not have materials for the wing and for the fuselage. Well, the whole project has stopped, and in other areas everything has also slowed down. We just saw it all with our own eyes. This is the experience of our work over the past two or three years.

In all key technological areas, we need to build comprehensive coordination, unconditional interconnection of all our steps and activities. I propose to provide a supranational mechanism for managing technological development and ask the Government to propose appropriate structural solutions.

Dear colleagues!

All our plans to create solutions for the future in chemistry and materials science are based on the huge potential of our scientific and engineering schools. Their traditions were laid down in the Russian Empire, I was talking about the Soviet Union, but the traditions were laid down in the XIX, at the beginning of the XX century, developed, as I have just said, and in Soviet times.

I think that Mikhail Kovalchuk, who met me just now, and I exchanged a few words with him, and other participants of the plenary session will definitely talk about how the achievements in the field of chemistry and materials science obtained in the framework of space, nuclear projects, as well as in the course of research in the field of energy for future thermonuclear fusion are being multiplied at the present stage which were headed by Evgeny Pavlovich Velikhov.

I consider it necessary to dedicate a new competition of the Russian Science Foundation for leading scientists to the memory of this outstanding thinker and son of the Fatherland. The grant amount for five years will range from 250 million rubles to half a billion rubles. The largest domestic companies will co-finance these grants and act as a direct customer of breakthrough technologies.

As for the areas of support, they will change annually. This year, I propose to announce such a competition for the creation of unique materials and products made from them for autonomous energy sources, power and power plants, as well as for devices and information processing systems necessary for the development of artificial intelligence, among other things.

It is quite obvious that this technology is already determining the development of all areas, making a real revolution, including in chemistry and materials science. Due to the introduction of artificial intelligence and computer modeling in our country, it is quite realistic to reduce the development and implementation of new materials to 5-10 years, and in the future to 2-3 years.

To do this, researchers and engineers must have the necessary array of data about existing materials and their components. I propose to build mechanisms for regulatory regulation of their turnover, including collection, storage, processing, transfer and use.

I will add that huge amounts of data, advanced knowledge about new elements and materials will be obtained in the course of research on domestic installations of the megasayence class. They allow us to study matter–-experts know--literally at the atomic level.

I would like to emphasize that some complexes that are located in our country – such as NIKA in Dubna or PIK in the Leningrad Region, are unique and have no analogues. In the near future, we plan to carry out the technological launch of another powerful installation–-SKIF. It will significantly expand the functionality and range of capabilities of the Russian research infrastructure. We certainly invite foreign scientists to work together. When I visited the Leningrad Region a few years ago, specialists from Europe were already working there, and from those countries where the use of nuclear energy was curtailed, and, accordingly, research in these areas was gradually curtailed, and they were happy to work with us. We hope that this practice will continue. Our doors are open, we are always happy to welcome our friends and colleagues.

I would like to emphasize that we are well aware that equal and open international exchange in the scientific field is one of the main factors for strengthening the multipolar world. We will continue to help unite the efforts of researchers and engineers from Eastern and Southern countries to solve large-scale experimental, theoretical and, of course, practical problems.

Thus, the BRICS association is already a de facto platform for global socio-economic and technological development. At the same time, we are not going to erect barriers to partnership with Western scientists. We hope that Western politicians will also understand the harmfulness of restricting cooperation in the field of science and education.

It is important that global development is fair and balanced, so it is necessary to achieve further industrial and technological progress, while reducing the negative impact on the environment, preserving the fragile ecosystem of the planet, its flora and fauna. Of course, we will proceed from the need to apply such technologies. It is no coincidence that the focus is now on cutting–edge solutions in the field of genetics, bio-and nature-like technologies, as well as the creation of materials that reproduce the processes of living systems.

In general, we are talking about the formation of a fundamentally new phenomenon, a new reality—bioeconomics. This is a crucial topic, a key one in terms of the quality of global growth. I propose to dedicate the next Forum of Future Technologies to bioeconomics. If, of course, colleagues find it possible and interesting. We invite representatives of science, education, and business from all over the world to participate in it. We are open for cooperation.

Dear friends!

I am sincerely glad that a frank, in-depth discussion of scientists, engineers, and business representatives is unfolding in our country. This is evidence of Russia's openness and, of course, our special attention to scientific and technological development.

Perhaps no expert will undertake to predict new solutions that will be discovered or invented even in the near future. But what we can definitely do is ensure that we effectively support key technological areas, especially those that are important and useful for citizens, for society, and for economic growth. This is exactly the way we intend to work. I am sure that this is the key to your discussions at today's events.

Thank you for your attention.

Mikhail Kovalchuk: Good afternoon!

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues! Thank you so much for such an introduction.

Mr President, I would first like to thank you for taking the time to participate in our Forum in a schedule that everyone understands. The very fact of your participation shows how science and technology are treated in our country, and in general in this entire field. And today's Forum, of course, has a completely different level. Thank you so much.

Before I give the floor to the first speaker, I would like to say just a few words.

You know, everything in life is material. When Vladimir Vladimirovich announced the start of a special military operation, in fact, if you put everything else aside, there was only one important fact–-it was a reminder to the world that it is material, and we are an essential part of this material world.

You know, any human thought comes to society, to a person only through the creation of material. If an artist has an image of a painting in his head, he needs an easel, paints and canvas to represent it. A composer needs a musical instrument, sheet music, and so on. That is, through the creation of material, any human thought becomes accessible to society.

In fact, when we are asked about the priorities of science and technology development, there are always two of them: the first is matter and the second is the energy that is needed to make this matter.

Once we had a conversation with Vladimir Vladimirovich, and he told me: "There is a third priority." You said, "Intellect, soul." Here is the intellect and thought of a person. And it seems to me that in our country there is more than enough of all this: intelligence, energy, and therefore matter. If we did not know how to create matter, materials with given properties, we would never have implemented the atomic space project. This is a demonstration of our capabilities.

I would like to say one thing before the speech of Vladislav V. Antipov, a representative of the Kurchatov Institute. What happened? We are talking about nature-like technologies, as you mentioned in your report. After all, you see, we think and move, we talk about natural likeness, and the very development of life actually led to the creation of these technologies.

Today's technological world is very simple: we cut, we go from top to bottom. We cut off the excess: the tree was cut down, the branches were cut off, the log was cut off – timber, then parquet, and so on. They made an ingot, put it on the machine, and cut off all the excess. With the current method of production, up to 80 percent of energy and matter goes to the landfill, in fact, to pollute the environment. And nature is very economical, it grows a huge tree from grain–-eucalyptus or baobab, from a cage–-a living creature.

So additive technologies are a clear example of how the technological logic of development itself led us to create a reproduction of the nature-like principle. We crystallize fine powder or fuse it using a laser or electron beam, creating unique items. And in this sense, this is a key challenge of our time–-the creation of additive technologies that are nature-like.

And the second thing. When I was a student or starting a research project, 90 percent of the articles were about semiconductors, and today 90 percent are about living life. Therefore, the creation of biosimilar, biocompatible materials is the second key direction.

Vladislav Valeryevich, please tell us about the current state, achievements and prospects of the world's largest materials science center based on the Kurchatov Institute.

Vladislav Antipov, Assistant to the President of the National Research Center

Vladimir Antipov: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

Dear colleagues,

At all times, the implementation of the most daring ideas of designers became possible due to the creation of materials with the required characteristics. Striking examples are Soviet nuclear and space projects, which created a huge amount of materials. So far, no one in the world has been able to repeat the flight of the Buran orbiter, for which a unique thermal protection system was developed, which consisted of tiles based on quartz fibers. It is noteworthy that 90 percent of this tile consisted of air, since it is a good heat insulator. These achievements made it possible to ensure the operability of tiles up to temperatures of 1250 degrees Celsius.

Today, the Russian Federation is a leader in the field of uranium enrichment by the centrifuge method, but few people imagine that in a gas centrifuge, the rotor rotates at a speed of 1500 revolutions per second. And it should work for 30 years without stopping. This was made possible by the development of a special aluminum alloy. It is a light alloy, but it has the strength of steel.

Today, the Strategy of Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation defines priorities for the next decade. This includes the development of nature-like technologies, space exploration, Arctic exploration, and the creation of clean energy. And of course, such tasks should be solved by developing new materials and new technologies. As Mikhail Valentinovich noted, the Kurchatov Institute is currently engaged in these developments as a leader in materials science in Russia.

Of course, today humanity is entering the era of biomaterials. What seemed fantastic yesterday is now being applied in medicine. The Kurchatov Institute has developed biosimilar materials, and for regenerative medicine, unique products are made from these materials–-an artificial trachea, a heart frame, and much, much more.

Of course, today it is extremely important to develop materials for the engine industry. Only a few countries in the world have a full cycle of creating gas turbine engines, and the most loaded element of the engine is the turbine blade. The corresponding scientific and technical groundwork has been created, which today allows us to produce single-crystal blades. These are blades that actually consist of a single crystal, and due to the internal cooling system, due to special heat-protective coatings, such a blade operates at a gas temperature in front of the turbine up to 1950 Kelvins. Such blades are used in our modern Russian PD-14 engine for the MC-21 aircraft.

I would also like to note that the nacelle of this engine is 60 percent carbon fiber. These materials were developed by young scientists of the Kurchatov Institute, and the development was awarded a prize by the Government of the Russian Federation.

Additive technologies of the PD-14 engine were used. These technologies produce swirlers of the front-end device of the combustion chamber.

It should be noted that the XXI century has become a century of rapid development of additive technologies, since they allow you to create products with a bionic design due to layer-by-layer extensions. This cannot be achieved with traditional technologies. The Kurchatov Institute has created a closed cycle of additive manufacturing, which has already made it possible to produce serial parts for various industries.: this includes transport engineering, fuel and energy complex, and medicine.

The effectiveness of using additive technologies can be demonstrated on one simple detail-a heat exchanger for the RD-191 rocket engine. It was manufactured using traditional technologies for six months–-these are long-term soldering technologies. It weighed 70 kilograms and was equipped with 23 components. Additive technologies have made it possible to implement a technology in which this heat exchanger can actually be created in one cycle. It weighs 19 kilograms, and the time is actually reduced by 20 times. This is the efficiency of additive technologies.

Today, more than 10 thousand additive manufacturing parts are produced annually at the pilot production facility of the Kurchatov Institute. I must say that the Kurchatov Institute is responsible for the scientific component: source materials, synthesis technologies are developed, and technology transfer is carried out.

Further implementation and industrial development of these technologies, of course, should be carried out with the participation of the state corporation "Rosatom", which has a powerful potential in this regard.

Thus, the Kurchatov Institute will form all the necessary scientific and technical reserves, and the state corporation Rosatom will already ensure their accelerated introduction into production.

Turning to the strategic task of developing the Arctic, I must say that materials with special properties cannot be dispensed with here, since such materials must work in Arctic conditions. And we understand that these are low temperatures, high humidity, and a lot of other things.

At the Kurchatov Institute, cold-resistant steels have been created, which today make it possible to make icebreaker hulls. These icebreakers break through ice more than four meters thick. Sealing materials, paint and varnish materials, and functional materials that do not lose their elasticity and work at temperatures up to minus 60 degrees Celsius have been developed.

In general, the created scientific and technical reserve allows Russia today to be the only power that has a nuclear icebreaker fleet. This groundwork opens up opportunities for the future in terms of creating Arctic underwater gas carriers.

In conclusion, I would like to say, as Mr Putin already pointed out in his speech, that a cross-industry unified digital database of material properties is extremely necessary in the Russian Federation. Of course, this will significantly reduce the time required for creating materials, since it will be possible to model both the structure and properties of the material at the early stages of development. This will certainly make it possible to unify materials for various industries, as well as to develop approaches that will allow organizing the admission of new-generation materials for complex technical systems.

Thanks for attention.

Vladimir Putin: I want to thank Kurchatnik for what is being done. You mentioned only a part of the work that is being carried out in Kurchatnik, but there are many more of them. All of a sudden, Kurchatnik has taken up genetics, and as far as I know, it is working effectively in this area.

A colleague just said—I think many people just missed this information: he said about the possibility of creating underwater gas carriers. You know, when Mikhail Valentinovich [Kovalchuk] mentioned this to me a couple of years ago, I said: well, don't talk about it, we'll carry gas on submarines, or what? Nothing like that! Gazprom and NOVATEK believe that this is quite possible and will be profitable. It will be efficient and safe. Still, liquefied gas, imagine, such huge tanks with liquefied gas, they are, in general, quite dangerous. God forbid that there would be an explosion. But under water—no, under water everything is different. And it turns out to be cost-effective. Surprisingly. But this is the future, of course, and quite feasible.

So the speed of decision-making and the speed of manufacturing the necessary equipment also increase dramatically with the use of modern technologies, including additive technologies and the use of artificial intelligence. Impressive, of course.

And the Arctic–-we are the undisputed leaders there. Many countries now want to cooperate with us on the production of a nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet, but this, of course, is impossible without modern materials.

Engine building. Here, of course, we have a lot to work on. Much more needs to be done. In some areas, our foreign colleagues, of course, sorry for the bad manners, beat us, but nothing, but the challenge is very good.

I don't want to say anything unnecessary, but I probably won't be wrong if I correct you. You said that the temperature in a modern MS-21 engine reaches over 1,700 degrees. This is the PD-14 engine just for the MC-21 aircraft, and for the wide-body aircraft it is already the PD-35 engine, and the temperature there is already over 1900 degrees. And everything works out.

I would like to thank you and those who work on the production itself, we know who does it, and wish you success. All the main stages of work have already been completed, but you need to help your colleagues and support them.

Vladimir Antipov: Thank you, Mr President.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

Mikhail Kovalchuk: Mr President, I will exercise my right as host. What I wanted to draw your attention to.

First, I wanted to say, when it came to additive technologies, the role of Rosatom, Alexey Evgenyevich [Likhachev] is sitting next to [in the hall,] and the Academy [of Sciences], Gennady Yakovlevich [Krasnikov] is here. I will immediately respond to what you have said. The three of us, on behalf of the [Presidential] Administration, are actively working on the projects of the Velikhov competition, choosing the right topics.

But here's what I wanted to say. In general, additive technologies in our country originated at the institute in Shatura, which, in my opinion, was called the Institute of Laser and Information Technology Problems, something like that. Its director was Academician Panchenko, it was created on the initiative of Anatoly Petrovich Alexandrov. So, for the first time in the world, stereolithographs were created there, and, as you know, plastic copies were made on them. For example, when the remains of the Romanov family were identified, these parts were created for the first time.

And in this sense, there is a unique base left. We discussed together with Gennady Yakovlevich and Alexey Yevgenyevich, if you would support us, Rosatom produces machines for these additive technologies, develops them--and quite successfully. If it were possible, since there are huge capacities in Shatura, to create an interdepartmental center for additive technologies, in which we would combine the efforts of the Kurchatov Institute, Rosatom and the Academy of Sciences, we would leave the traditions and all the potential that remains there. I think it's very possible.

Vladimir Putin: I also think so, but we need to ask Alexey [Likhachev], because I know that there is a certain competition between the Kurchatov Institute and Rosatom: whether you want to get to them, or he wants to get to you. To be honest, I support any actions related to joining forces. (To A. Likhachev.) So I ask you, too, Alexey, to work.

Mikhail Kovalchuk: Can we put an end to it then? You gave me an assignment.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

M. Kovalchuk: Alexey Yevgenyevich and Gennady Yakovlevich Podolsky signed an agreement three days ago and established the Strategic Development Council of Rosatom and the Kurchatov Institute on your direct instructions. So we don't have any contradictions. I'm public… I think Alexey Yevgenyevich can confirm this. Only unity.

Vladimir Putin: What was created? A tip?

M. Kovalchuk: Council for Strategic Development.

Vladimir Putin: Advice and love. (Laughter.)

Mikhail Kovalchuk: I would like to give the floor to Alexander Igorevich Chernov, head of the research group at the Russian Quantum Center. Before he talks about graphene, I will say one thing very briefly.

We have a huge number of elements in the periodic table, but there are only four elements that are very strongly distinguished--these are oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon. They stand out for a number of reasons.

First. If we take biological substance, there is no biological substance where these four elements are not present. Inorganic, metals are simpler, we are more complex, but we must have hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen.

Vladimir Putin: And we need more money.

Mikhail Kovalchuk: Money is already the next stage. You must first have these elements.

But now what's important? These elements are unique, because, look, hydrogen and oxygen are, on the one hand, water, an inexplicable thing in general, and on the other hand, rattlesnake gas.

Farther. Oxygen is an oxidizing agent. All combustion is due to it, and our aging is also an oxidation process. Oxygen plays a major role in free radicals.

Now nitrogen is an energy-rich material. These are fertilizers and explosives, any explosives. And if it is still compressed, for example, on diamond anvils, then the energy reserve in general approaches the atomic one. This is nitrogen.

And carbon is a unique material. On the one hand, it is diamond, the hardest material, and on the other hand, it is graphite, a high-temperature case. And on the third hand, it is fullerene, the most complex thing, and graphene. This is such a mesh, a single-layer atom, for which our compatriots received the Nobel Prize.

Vladimir Putin: One layer thick. But we went further and put something else on this layer. You're going to tell us about it now, aren't you?

Head of the scientific group of the Russian Quantum Center, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Alexander Chernov

Alexander Chernov: Yes, that's right.

Mikhail Kovalchuk: Alexander Igorevich, please.

Alexander Chernov: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues,

Imagine that your smartphone can analyze your breath and instantly detect the first signs of illness. Or that you have a sensor on your clothes that will tell you about environmental pollution when you are on a walk. This sounds a bit fantastic, but in fact these technologies are already developing, and the key to them is two-dimensional materials.

Our laboratory at the Russian Quantum Center MIPT is developing devices based on two-dimensional materials, such as graphene, which has already been presented. It is a single-atom-thick carbon crystal. Indeed, Andrey Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize in 2010 for their innovative experiments with this material.

The question arises: what new things have happened since then? Today, we work not only with graphene, but also use other, a large number of other two-dimensional materials that are also one or several atoms thick. We can stack them together, rotate them at different angles, and create new materials, literally like a construction kit. These new materials have new properties, and most importantly, they can be adapted to specific tasks.

In our laboratory, we are engaged in fundamental research, that is, we study the physics of processes, some new effects, and this work has already borne fruit. Today, at the exhibition, you should be shown materials and sensors made from these materials at the Gazprombank stand and told about their possible applications. For example, they can be used for night vision devices. The main advantage of using two-dimensional materials is 15 times more sensitivity, which means that in the dark you can detect an object at a much longer distance.

In addition, technologies based on two-dimensional materials can also be used in medical technologies. Biosensors based on two-dimensional materials are being developed to detect biomarkers of diseases both in the blood and in respiration.

Due to their small size and flexibility, they can be integrated into wearable electronics or clothing and continuously monitor, for example, a person's breathing. Highly sensitive graphene-based sensors already exist, and they detect diseases such as lung cancer and tuberculosis in the early stages, and analyze human breathing.

Our example shows that studying new materials and the effects that occur in them allows you to create something fundamentally new, that is, not to repeat the old technologies, not to somehow modernize them, but to get devices that significantly exceed the characteristics of existing analogues.

It seems to me that it is fundamentally important to support the fundamental science that gives the world these discoveries, which only then allow us to create devices–-and, as they say, they allow us, thanks to their unique characteristics, to overtake on the turn, achieve leading positions and, as a result, achieve domestic high-tech products.

I would like to point out two points. First of all, we would like industrial partners to come with a request for such materials with certain characteristics. In other words, they would tell us, for example, what parameters they need and what materials they are interested in. It seems to me that in this case, devices that can be implemented will turn out faster. I know that some work is already underway in this direction.

I would still like to highlight how I see it, how this problem could be solved. It could be solved by creating some kind of digital platform, I would even say a marketplace, where research teams and industrial customers would meet and try to find a common language. I know that such work is already underway, and I would like to hope that they will continue to be supported.

The second point that I would like to reflect is that the transition from one unique device to mass production, of course, requires debugging some technological processes. This usually happens in the" clean zone " of the university or in the center of collective use. At MIPT, we have access to a" clean zone", where we can build a device, then test it, for example, publish an article, and students and postgraduates will be very happy, because they can easily defend their diploma and dissertation.

However, if you want to move from one device that has unique properties, which was created in the laboratory and which was made by some very talented young researcher, for example, to ten with the same parameters, this requires setting up this technological process.

Why do I say that? Because, for example, our colleagues at the Russian Quantum Center and MIPT are successfully following this path. But on a national scale, it seems to me that this task could be solved if certain platforms were created, platforms where these technological processes could be worked out, for example, in collaboration between universities or collaborations between a university and an industrial partner. Such centers would allow for technology transfer and make it easier to achieve your May decrees in the field of technology leadership.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: I will not go into the field of sensors now – this is an extremely important area with a wide range of applications. Thank God, we are developing this area, including with your help.

As for creating digital platforms where we can interact and exchange information, see requests for industrial partners and the opportunities of our research schools and manufacturers, this is very important. If this is not enough, then this, of course, should be done. I am now addressing my colleagues from the Government and the Academy of Sciences: we need to join forces. This is not difficult and should be done accurately. Please pay attention to this.

About environmental pollution. You said that [you can] have a sensor that tells us what the environment is like when we walk, and so on. You know, this is very important, especially if everything is going well. But sometimes we have… The simplest device is the nose. When people go out near landfills, no sensors are needed here: the smell comes from these landfills, so everything is clear.

Nevertheless, the scope of what you do is, of course, very large. When you just said that it is possible to diagnose at an early stage simply by analyzing a person's breathing, for example, some lung cancer or something else–-of course, this is a revolution, this is just a revolution. We will do everything we can to help you.

Alexander Chernov: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

Mikhail Kovalchuk: Mr President, at least sensors are needed for what doesn't smell, what can't be detected by the nose.

You know, I would like to say just one word about this, to remind you. When they talk about the platform–-this is a very important thing, but we have an academic model of science, not a university one. I want to remind you that the Institute of Physics and Technology was originally conceived very simply when it was created: each faculty, each part had a basic organization in the form of a large scientific center. This was the strength of the school of physics and Technology.

It seems to me that today, when dealing with platforms, which is extremely important and modern, both digital and artificial intelligence, we must not forget, restore and support this system. Because the easiest way to implement the results of fundamental sciences is to contact a real institute that creates what is used in industry. This is our extremely important and sought-after Soviet experience, which is why Phystech is so valued all over the world. It seems to me that we need to support this in every possible way, and this will be the right thing to do.

Thank you very much.

I will give the next floor to Nadezhda Vasilyevna Potekhina, Head of the Materials Science Laboratory at Rosatom's Scientific Research Institute NPO Luch.

I want to say that we are talking about materials, and all nuclear technologies, no matter what we are talking about now, they rest on the creation of materials. We created materials, so we implemented an atomic project, and our further success in nuclear technology is related to materials.

You are welcome.

Nadezhda Potekhina, Ph.D., Head of the Laboratory of Materials Science and Materials Properties Research Institute at the Research Institute of NPO Luch

Natalia Potekhina: Thank you, Mikhail Valentinovich, for giving me the floor.

It has already been noted that modern materials science is really designed to embody the most daring and even fantastic ideas of scientists and engineers. The nuclear industry, whose 80th anniversary we are celebrating this year, has always been the cradle of record-breaking materials, and this cradle has been in the hands of major materials scientists from the very beginning. Now this knowledge is carefully preserved by the Kurchatov Institute and Rosatom enterprises.

Thanks to the accumulated experience, the tasks that are being solved at Rosatom enterprises are not limited to creating the latest materials for the nuclear industry. The range of tasks is extremely wide. And I would like each of you to answer a very simple question: how long have you been looking at the starry sky? And not just watched, but thought about how high the level of technology should be to ensure a long flight to the Moon or to Mars, and preferably both there and there and, of course, to return home? How hardy should functional materials be that work in very serious conditions, both in terms of temperature and mechanical loads, and still have to ensure the operability of fairly serious installations?

Our team deals with just such materials. These are refractory metals and their alloys. These materials can be compared with extreme athletes, they are reliable in special operating conditions: these are temperatures above 1300 degrees Celsius, severe mechanical loads and radiation exposure. Our materials are the heart of the latest types of unique high-temperature nuclear power propulsion systems.

We consider it an achievement to develop technologies and equipment for creating single-crystal blanks of complex shapes. This ensured the reliability of their properties at previously unattainable temperatures and loads. It is the complex of mechanical properties and radiation resistance that distinguish our materials favorably.

I must say that we, of course, do not stop there. We see the success of our Chinese colleagues in the field of refractory alloys. These works certainly encourage us, because scientists are also athletes in some ways, and it is important for us to maintain our leadership.

I must say that even now the development of our work has made it possible to create a material for use in promising propulsion systems for high-speed flights in the air. This was previously unattainable for refractory metals, and we are actively working to increase the resource of such materials.

Of course, the scientific significance of our work does not consist only in creating a certain alloy composition, because the shape of the product can also be complex. And here we, like our colleagues, apply modern additive technologies and digital methods. It may be that unfortunately–-and in our opinion, it seems that fortunately—it is impossible to use existing printers for refractory alloys. That is why we have designed special additive installations that allow us to work with such materials in a high-quality way.

Of course, the developments I just mentioned have a small production volume, but the prospects for using refractory alloys do not shrink only to a very narrow, special area in space–-of course not.

We hope that future generations of young professionals will already be working on the development of miniaturized power plants. It is possible that these works will be carried out in close cooperation with the Russian Science Foundation, with colleagues from the Kurchatov Institute and from specialized universities.

Even now, most of these ambitious projects are in the hands of young professionals, young engineers. Today I am happy to represent such a team.

What can a young team with such still, in general, young souls dream of? Of course, it's about making sure that what they put their knowledge, time, nerves, and sometimes even health into works. So that our refractory alloys will conquer space, fulfill their purpose there and find their application in everyday, earthly life. And this is impossible without the development of the Russian raw material base of refractory [alloys], without active attention and reverent attitude to production and industry.

We, in turn, are confident that unique Russian developments with our refractory alloys will definitely find a worthy response in the global scientific community.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: I understand correctly that you need these rare-earth metals, right?

N. Potekhina: Yes, that's right.

Vladimir Putin: What do you suggest? What'll we do?

Natalia Potekhina: To develop our deposits and remember them.

Vladimir Putin: Have you studied these deposits? At least you were interested in where, what, and how you can get it? Except for Yakutia. In Yakutia, everyone probably knows what to eat. And besides Yakutia?

Natalia Potekhina: I will tell you a secret. I'm a geologist, I'm from the Faculty of Geology of Lomonosov Moscow State University, so yes, we studied it, of course. We very much hope that the Tyrnyauz molybdenum-tungsten deposit will "perk up" after all. Our department once worked very hard there.

Vladimir Putin: All right, all right. That's what I mean, too.

But what about the flights to Mars? Is it possible to fly there in a live cage and come back? Just be honest.

N. Potekhina: We need to find out what's in there.

Vladimir Putin: Where? On Mars? This is how vehicles fly to Mars, they have flown more than once. Can a cell fly there alive and come back alive?

Natalia Potekhina: We hope that she will, but how long she will last there is another question.

Vladimir Putin: Here's what to do with scientists? (To M. Kovalchuk.) It's hard for you, Mikhail Valentinovich.

It's just that some colleagues tell me that this is impossible. Korolev once thought about this, saying that you need to fly in a water shell, then the cage flies back and forth. But this is impossible due to the fact that the device turns out to be so huge that it can neither be launched nor transported there, even with the help of the nuclear engines we are developing for space. A large device is obtained. And there are no other materials that would protect biological material, a living cell. No?

Natalia Potekhina: These are probably our plans for the future.

Vladimir Putin: Good. We need to allocate funding, so I understand? (Laughter.)

Thank you very much. Of course, everything that concerns your line of work, refractory alloys are extremely important things, we are well aware of this, and our colleagues in the Government understand this. We will do our best to help and support you.

Mikhail Kovalchuk: You know, space engines, I must say, we have always been ahead of the rest of the planet in this respect. We have all the satellites, stations in space flew with nuclear installations on board. And today, together with Rosatom and the Academy, we are developing engines, electrodeless plasma rocket engines. They are a completely different type, and in this sense they should provide the functions of a tug that will fly to the Moon or Mars.

We once said that we fly into space today, like Munchausen on the core. Our RD engine gave a few hundred seconds of acceleration, and we flew along a ballistic trajectory. They counted incorrectly-–they missed, they didn't get to the moon.

And we need another engine that can barrage, that is, we can accelerate, slow down, dock to the asteroid. We have prototypes of these engines, they are moving, and we have been doing this for many decades. Now, I think, together with the Academy and Rosatom, we have a chance to do this and put energy on the Moon. In this sense, then we will have something to dock on, and power engineering on the Moon to deploy. There are special options for stations of a completely new principle. This is a very important thing, and the materials that were discussed.

I'm going back because you said so. I would like to report once again, Alexey Yevgenyevich [Likhachev], on the implementation of the assignment, so that no one in the audience has any doubts that all the issues have been resolved. I just want to remind you that a decade and a half ago, when Rosatom was being reformed, Vladimir Vladimirovich suggested that Sergey Kiriyenko and I conduct a reorganization. We were one in Sredmash at one time.

Since a commercial modern high-tech company was being formed, it was decided to separate science from there in the form of the Kurchatov Institute with a number of institutes and create the first national laboratory "Kurchatov Institute". And then, which was very important and difficult after that period of reorganization, today we have united again as a new, extremely effective modern form. This is the key to success. As before, the atomic space project was, because there was a parent organization, a scientific supervisor, and it was a close contact. Today we have practically restored this system, and you have actively supported it. I think this is the key to our success today.

Our last speaker is Valentin Pavlovich Ananikov, Head of the laboratory of the N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences.

I'll ask you to tell us about chemistry. Vladimir Vladimirovich started with chemistry, and you will finish it now.

You are welcome.

Valentin Ananikov, Head of the Laboratory of the N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Chemical Sciences

Vladimir Ananikov: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues and guests,

Now an important influence on the development of chemistry is provided by the application of artificial intelligence and digital modeling. There is a lot of hype around artificial intelligence, perhaps even a lot of inflated expectations. Who hasn't heard of artificial intelligence? Everyone has already heard it many times, but it is very important not to miss the crucial turning point that is brewing in this area right now.

Now for artificial intelligence comes the so-called "era for". Artificial intelligence ceases to be an end in itself, it becomes a tool for developing practical tasks: artificial intelligence for the chemical industry, artificial intelligence for medicine, artificial intelligence for solving environmental issues. We are coming close to a new technological stage, when the use of digital algorithms is an accelerator for innovative development.

I must say that this stage, a new stage of scientific research in our country, has come to a prepared stage. The Russian Science Foundation created on your initiative actively contributed to the growth of scientific competencies. I am very pleased to see from your report that the Foundation's programs are constantly developing. The Foundation's support from the Young Scientists Support Foundation was very important for building human resources.

Addressing students and schoolchildren who will probably also watch this program, I want to tell them that you can safely go to science. For you, the state has adequate support for the science track from the foundation and other programs.

There are a lot of questions about education, especially in the context of such a highly intellectual sphere. A very good example that I would like to mention is the development of fundamental artificial intelligence algorithms at Innopolis University and their practical implementation in the laboratories of the Kazan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. What is very important – this is supported by the school program "FizMatHim" with the support of the leadership of the Republic of Tatarstan. This could be a very interesting pilot project for cadres in this field.

As for the chemical industry, of course, this is the most important area for humanity. I would like to see the contribution of the chemical industry to the economy of our country increase from year to year, including paying attention to new areas that are emerging now, which will form the basis of chemical technologies in the near future.

If we talk about projects in the field of digital chemistry, such a project "Digital Chemistry" is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science, there are large grants. It is being implemented at the N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences and is aimed at implementing digital algorithms in chemistry and creating new chemical technologies. The world's most active heterogeneous catalyst for cross-coupling reactions has been developed. These reactions are in demand in the synthesis of drugs, in the production of materials for energy and new intelligent materials. This record has been held for two years.

For the first time, a neural network has been developed that determines the chemical formula of a substance based on a photo. This is in demand in quality control systems of the chemical industry.

When I was a schoolboy, I remember that I was very fond of looking at powders under a microscope, trying to see their chemical structure.

Vladimir Putin: What kind of powders?

V. Ananikov: Salt, soda, copper sulfate. I tried to see the chemical structure in them, which, of course, is impossible.

In general, in our time, this impossibility is becoming possible with the help of neural networks. If I could go back to the past and choose my life path again, I would choose scientific research again. It is today that so many interesting things are being discovered in this area.

As for artificial intelligence, our country has quite strong positions. Our colleagues from Rosatom and the Kurchatov Institute are actively developing these areas. At the level of language models, Sber supports the development of artificial intelligence, including for chemical applications.

This concerns some of our achievements and positive aspects.

Now there's a problem I'd like to talk about. The key problem, a stumbling block for many chemical projects, is the scaling of chemical synthesis. Our research projects are very effective in producing unique materials with very useful practical properties, but in the amount of grams. We need to learn how to move quickly from grams to tons.

It is scaling technologies that are a stumbling block for many projects. We don't have a lot of focused research on developing scaling technologies, especially on creating universal scaling technologies that can then be applied to a large number of chemical processes. This is clearly visible for low-tonnage and micro-tonnage chemistry. This is an area where substances are synthesized in quantities ranging from several tons to thousands of tons, but they need a lot of them. The range of these substances is very large, there are several hundred of them, their number will be constantly replenished, and here you need to learn how to scale chemical synthesis very quickly. Neural networks and artificial intelligence applications can play a crucial role here.

Artificial intelligence is a unifying technology. With the help of artificial intelligence, you can simulate the material, the catalyst for its synthesis. What is very important, you can create a digital copy of the reactor, where this chemical synthesis can be carried out. For micro-tonnage chemistry, this reactor is small and can be fully printed in a 3D printer chamber. This is a revolutionary opportunity. Traditional assembly of reactors from many components–-they need to be ordered, distribute these orders, and then put everything together. Here, the digital copy immediately turns into a chemical reactor. This is a very important role of artificial intelligence, it can accelerate the implementation of scientific research results in practice, and we now have all the opportunities for this.

For my part, I would like to draw your attention to this and perhaps create a program to specifically support the introduction of digital tools for solving problems in chemistry and scaling chemical reactions.

In conclusion, I would like to say a few words. Probably, some ideas and some projects that stem from artificial intelligence seem fantastic, but what was fantastic yesterday is a reality today. It is clear that now we need to catch up, catch up and replace various technologies, at least in chemistry. But the best way to catch up is to play ahead. If we put all the most valuable things that artificial intelligence provides into practice in a timely and pragmatic manner, this will accelerate our technological development, help us make a technological breakthrough, and strengthen the connection between science and industry.

Thanks for attention.

Vladimir Putin: Valentin Pavlovich, please tell me what is needed to create a digital tools program? To replicate the technologies you mentioned, what should be done? Who exactly and what exactly should do to create it? Because the question is very important, extremely important. Low-tonnage, micro-tonnage chemistry is just what we need now.

Vladimir Ananikov: We need to develop a neural network that will simulate a chemical reactor based on a chemical reaction. Such developments have already begun, and there are some successful examples. We need to collect sufficient data on chemical reactions, catalysts, and reactor design. Then the neural network allows you to combine: this is an end-to-end technology, this is its advantage, it processes this data and offers a model of the reactor for a chemical reaction, which must be scaled. And, interestingly, it offers very original forms of reactors, not the ones that come to mind to a person. These shapes are quite complex, but they can be printed on a 3D printer. This is a unique and unifying technology: we move from the reaction to the reactor.

Vladimir Putin: Who should participate in this creation process? Who do you need?

V. Ananikov: Chemists, chemical technologists and programmers.

Vladimir Putin: This is probably done with the help and coordination of the Academy of Sciences. We don't have a microphone?

Mikhail Kovalchuk: There is.

Vladimir Putin: Please give the microphone to the President of the Academy of Sciences.

G. Krasnikov: Mr President, these are cutting-edge areas that are very much in demand, and of course, we are working on such projects today, both on state assignments and together with the Russian Science Foundation, in order to create entire digital databases on chemistry and catalysts and then train neural networks to do this. And then, as soon as you do the minimum, then you need Rosatom to reach high capacity.

Vladimir Putin: I want to understand how we can start this process and how we can help our colleagues. Because by helping them, we are helping ourselves. What should I do? What do you need from the Government? Money–-I understand. Then tell me how much?" And who will be a participant in this process? That's real, specifically.

G. Krasnikov: Of course, we need resources to speed it up. Valery Nikolaevich [Falkov] and I are still working to direct more resources to this area.

Alexander Alikhanov: Mr President, may I ask your permission?

Vladimir Putin: Yes.

A. Alikhanov: We were discussing it with Valery Nikolaevich as part of the national project when we were listening to Mr. Ananikov, and we agreed that we could include such an event as part of the national project. Just as a separate task to set for yourself.

Vladimir Putin: As part of the national technology leadership project?

A. Alikhanov: Yes. We'll take this as a task.

Vladimir Putin: Good. Be sure to inform me later, I ask you, what is happening in real life, what you are doing.

Yes, please.

Alexander Likhachev: Mr President, I would like to report that there is such a prototype and it will be shown to you at the exhibition today.

Vladimir Putin: Very good. Thank you very much. So let's move on.

Vladimir Ananikov: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. You said that if you could start all over again, you would again choose the path of scientific research, which is great, you can only envy.

thank you very much.

Mikhail Kovalchuk: Mr President, thank you very much.

Thank you all. Finishing up.

You know, I'd like to conclude with a line about this. It is often said that the age of physics has passed, the age of biology has come. This is a mistake. The fact is that we have recently…

Vladimir Putin: Academician Tamm made a mistake, didn't he? That's what he said.

M. Kovalchuk: It was a long time ago, it seemed so then, but now it is not so at all. I'll explain why.

You recently held the Presidential Council on Science and Education and so on, and the importance of natural science and physics and mathematics education was discussed there. I mean, you know, I don't want to do anything else. Physics and mathematics are a universal language in science.

I had a friend, a well-known theorist, an academic, who was already dead, and he always said that any field of human knowledge is zoological. Why? Because it is descriptive. Here you have caught a butterfly, measured something, even looked through a microscope – it is descriptive. Any field of knowledge becomes a science if and only if it comes to physical research methods and mathematical apparatus for description.

At first, the first stage of development of physical materials science was metal science. This occurs in several cases. The first is a request. In the 1930s, new metals were needed for airplanes, submarines, and automobiles, and this was a civilizational demand. Science went there, and physical materials science emerged, ferrous metallurgy merged with physics and mathematics. Further, while it was moving, we got today's world-engineering, aircraft, aviation, rocket. At this time, semiconductors were discovered, and physics and mathematics changed the object, they came to semiconductors. There was a huge scientific breakthrough in fact. But at this time, in these years (while semiconductor materials science was developing, the second stage), we began to live actively, this was not even under Tamm. The third stage in the development of physical materials science is bioorganic materials. And today we live in the era of bioorganic materials science. But if we want to be successful, we must train highly educated people in natural sciences.

When I finish, I want to say that Sergey Semenovich [Sobyanin] and I launched Kurchatov classes many years ago, and there were 39 schools in Moscow. Today, in several dozen regions of the Russian Federation, there are academic schools created by the Academy of Sciences, and Kurchatov classes. We are now combining brands. The bottom line is that we train people with an emphasis on the natural science base, because if a person does not know chemistry, physics, mathematics, he is useless in any field. And if he knows these three things, then he will…

I think that our project of Kurchatov classes, which was developed in Moscow and is now being replicated in the Crimea, Sevastopol, and the Far East, is very successful together with academic gymnasiums. I think that this is a very important thing for strengthening the role of science education, which means creating unique materials and preserving our country's leadership in all areas.

Vladimir Putin: I would like to end our discussion with what was just said by the colleague on my left. To be successful, you need to play ahead of the curve. Good luck! [My Emphasis]

Wow! If you’re into science or just want to know where technology is going, this was a treat. I’m going to print it and send it to a twevle-year-old I know who’s a science nerd but doesn’t know what he wants to do. The amount of learning one needs to do to become proficient by grade twelve is quite large if one is to have any sort of skill-based future. To solve the teacher shortage, professionals will need to rotate from lab/industry to classroom; there really is no other way. I note the use of a competition again to generate advancement, and the prize was rather large. I recall the award-winning young scientist who was engaged in making radiation resistant polymers and how her work integrates with this presentation. I hope readers will share their impressions in the comments.

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