Russian Science Foundation focuses on scientific result

MOSCOW, January 29. /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian Science Foundation will receive funds not only from the state budget, but from private domestic and foreign companies as well, RSF Director General Alexander Khlunov told an Itar-Tass press conference.

If a private enterprise is interested in scientific study of a certain subject, it may be ordered through the RSF. In this case, a sponsor will have the right to participate or monitor selection of projects and their examination by experts, thus having real control inside over received results, the director noted.

The RSF unlike other such foundations and science supporting institutions is not a budget-financed organization, but just a fund. It does not need to focus on monitoring of fund spending under the law on budget-financed organizations. "The main thing for us is not monitoring of the process, but monitoring of the received scientific result," the director general noted.

If someone who receives a grant does not achieve a scientific result, there will be no penalty. There may be a negative result in science, and the expert community in such a case may recommend not to take back the provided money, but to stop the financing, Khlunov said.

Russian as well as foreign scientists engaged in research in various fields have the right to receive funds from the RSF. Their works may be related to mechanics, physics, mathematics, chemistry, history and other fields, but not state secrets, since their plans and results will be published in the Internet, which will also ensure transparency of the foundation's activities, the director noted.

A certain part of grants will be given to scientists, whose research results are awaited for in the society, for example, in medical, biological and agricultural fields, as all people on the planet wait for new medicines for serious diseases, ecologically friendly food and everything that improves life quality, RSF director-general said.

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