Young scientists of Russia became participants of the large-scale forum Knowledge.Science in Stavropol

From April 26 to April 28, the Knowledge.Science forum launched its work in the Entrepreneurial Boiling Point space of the Stavropol State Agrarian University. The event has become a platform for discussing the future of academic science, the practical application of research developments and the exchange of experience between young scientists. The forum was organized by the Russian society "Knowledge".

The opening of the Knowledge.Science forum was held in a solemn atmosphere with the participation of honored guests. The Minister of Youth Policy of the Stavropol Territory Vyacheslav Korshun and the Deputy Minister of Education of the Stavropol Territory Elona Tolgurova came to greet the participants.

“I would like to greet you on behalf of the Governor of the Stavropol Territory and wish you success. Special thanks to the Russian society "Knowledge" for the projects that are being implemented in our Stavropol Territory. Thank you for helping to make our youth advanced in terms of science and as competent as possible in terms of knowledge,” Vyacheslav Korshun addressed the audience.

Also, the rector of the Stavropol State Agrarian University Vladimir Sitnikov addressed the forum participants.

“The agenda of the forum Knowledge.Science for the agricultural university is a daily work. Our scientists closely cooperate with the leadership of the region, with business representatives, and with other academic schools. Only by uniting can we move forward and respond to the demands of the modern labor market. You are waiting for three days of painstaking work to gain new knowledge and new competencies. The Russian society "Knowledge" and the Stavropol State Agrarian University have been working in tandem since 2021. During this time, 8 federal and regional projects have been implemented at the Entrepreneurial Boiling Point, including the All-Russian competition League of Lecturers and the School League of Lecturers, the Smart Route, Scientist Says and PROFuture forums. I am happy with this work, because Entrepreneurial Boiling Point was created specifically for this kind of work. We are supported in this by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Youth Policy, and current business representatives in the field of agriculture. I wish you good luck, new knowledge and competencies,” Vladimir Sitnikov noted in his speech.

The forum program covered the most important issues for modern science: how to turn a scientific discovery into a profitable business, what government support measures young scientists can count on, and how the scientific community will develop in the coming years.

As part of the Science.Business track, the participants got acquainted with the best scientific startups that could become successful businesses. For example, Oleg Kivokurtsev, founder and development director of Promobot, a manufacturer of autonomous service robots, a member of the Forbes under 30 international list and the list of the brightest and most talented Russians under 40 whose potential “contributes to the modernization of the country’s economy”, Choiseul 100 Russia, said, how scientific and technological discoveries help business. Corporate Projects Director of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI), Advisor to the National Technology Initiative, Member of the Youth Parliament under the State Duma of the Russian Federation Ksenia Koltunova delivered a lecture “What kind of scientific business is there in Russia and why has it become popular?” Vladimir Volobuev, director of the National Center for Genetic Research, described in detail how scientific discoveries become business start-ups and gave examples of successful business projects built on scientific developments.

“The path from a scientific discovery to a business project is quite long and thorny. First, based on a scientific discovery, it is necessary to form a prototype of a product that would solve user problems. Then collect feedback to understand how the proposed solution satisfies the needs of customers, how successful it is. And only after that the process of bringing the product to the market, marketing and sales begins. Here it is very important to assemble a professional team and properly build a chain of business processes so that it does not look like handicraft or work on enthusiasm alone. Only a stable business system can scale and successfully solve the problems of maximizing profits, expanding and conquering the market,” said Vladimir Volobuev.

The interaction between the scientific community and state institutions was discussed by the participants of the Science.State track. From the speech of the Deputy Director of the Department of Project Activities of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia Ivan Efremov, the audience learned what opportunities exist for the implementation of young scientists in Russia and what kind of support the state offers such specialists. Nadezhda Efremova, head of the project office of ANO National Priorities, told her colleagues how large-scale scientific research is being carried out in Russia and described the impact of such research on modern society. The program of the track ended with a performance by the laureate of the international astronomical prize Edgar Wilson, an employee of the Russian Academy of Sciences Leonid Yelenin, in which rum, he outlined the prospects for the study of giant planets and their satellites and the extraction of rare earth minerals from asteroids.

Issues related to the functioning of the scientific community have become the leitmotif of the Science.Academic Environment track. Forward-IT CEO Egor Bogdanov spoke about the dangers and benefits of neural networks in his lecture and answered the topical question of whether a computer will replace a person.

“Machines have been replacing humans since the beginning of the industrial revolution, and this is the essence of technological progress. It's just that working professions were supplanted earlier, and now this fate has come to creative specialties. A well-trained artificial intelligence is no more dangerous than a smart person, so the proposal to slow down the learning of modern neural networks sounds to me the same as, for example, a call to stop the development of the higher education system. But whether artificial intelligence will be our helper or enemy depends only on us,” said Yegor Bogdanov.

HR Director of ANO "NTI Platform" and ANO "University 20.35" Alyona Geydt at her master class told how to use artificial intelligence for career development. And in her lecture Tatyana Mamontova, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Leading Researcher of the North Caucasus Federal Scientific Agrarian Center, member of the Council of Young Scientists and Specialists of the Stavropol Territory, explained how scientific communities are developing and what kind of life awaits a scientist outside the university.

On the second day of the forum, Deputy General Director of the Russian Society "Knowledge" Georgy Budny in his speech announced the signing of an agreement between the Society "Knowledge" and the Stavropol State Agrarian University. He noted that the goals of Knowledge are to gather a community of the most interesting speakers, organize a close relationship between them and the country's universities to transfer knowledge and experience, and form the habit of learning among young people. But these goals cannot be achieved without reliable partners. The signing of the agreement opens up new horizons for cooperation between the Knowledge Society and SSAU. Vice-Rector of the University Alexei Bobryshev noted that the signing of the agreement consolidates the history of very good relations between the two organizations and in the future it will undoubtedly become the basis for the implementation of new, even more ambitious educational projects.

The Russian society "Knowledge" traces its history from the Soviet public organization, founded in 1947 on the initiative of representatives of the Soviet intelligentsia as the "All-Union Society for the Dissemination of Political and Scientific Knowledge" (since 1963 - the All-Union Society "Knowledge", since 1991 - the Society " Knowledge of Russia). Members of the Society were engaged in the popularization of science, lectured on the achievements of the Soviet economy and industry. In 2016, “Knowledge of Russia” was transformed into the All-Russian Public and State Educational Organization “Russian Society “Knowledge”. On April 21, 2021, in the Address of the President of the Russian Federation to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin announced the need to restart the Russian Knowledge Society on a modern digital platform.