Innovations, grants, technologies: what young researchers at RUDN are studying and what opportunities the university offers for scientific research
More than 130 young researchers and research interns currently work at the university in various departments: Research Division, Agrarian and Technological Institute, Institute of Medicine, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Academy of Engineering, Faculty of Science, Research Institute for Brain Development and Peak Performance, and others. Our scientists publish hundreds of studies per year (including on topics related to sustainable development goals), develop modern technologies, new materials, and various disease treatment methods. They actively participate in scientific forums, seminars, and conferences, where they present reports, participate in discussions, and share their knowledge and experience.
From November 26 to 28, a
The event will bring together over 7,000 people from 63 countries. Leading Russian and foreign scientists, heads of scientific and educational organizations, government officials, heads of major companies, students, and schoolchildren from Russia and other countries will participate in the congress. Speakers wi褘ll include Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, Presidential Aide to the President of the Russian Federation Andrey Fursenko, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady Krasnikov, and President of the National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute” Mikhail Kovalchuk. This is a key annual event of the Decade of Science and Technology, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin for
What are RUDN scientists researching?
One of the delegation members, Yasser Rebukh, is a representative of Algeria and chairman of the RUDN Council of Young Scientists. This year, he won our university’s award in the field of science and innovation for young scientists in the category “Natural Sciences and Technical Fields.” Ph.D. in Agriculture and associate professor in the Department of Rational Nature Management at the Institute of Environmental Engineering, Yasser Rebukh is an author of over 100 Scopus/WoS articles. He has developed environmentally friendly technologies for growing grain crops that allow organic fertilizers to be used instead of chemical ones. This reduces the risk of food contamination. The solutions proposed by the scientist make it possible to reduce agricultural costs, provide consumers with cleaner and safer products, increase yields, and improve the export potential of grain crops, while preserving soil and water resources and reducing harmful effects on the environment.
Another member of the delegation, Roman Vysotsky, an assistant at the Department of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Artificial Intelligence, is working on a project entitled “Development of a methodology for assessing the condition of freshwater bodies using bioindicators and AI-based video tracking.” The main idea is to use living organisms (fish) as sensitive indicators of water quality. The methodology allows not only to determine the fact of water pollution, but also to understand its nature — whether it causes toxic effects, affects genes, the microbiome, or the behavior of organisms. In the future, based on this methodology, it will be possible to develop a test system: it will be enough to add water from the reservoir to fish eggs to quickly assess the impact of pollutants on their development. Roman’s project received grant support from the university.
The research of Alexander Chupin, Ph.D. in Economics and Deputy Dean for Research at the RUDN Faculty of Economics, is devoted to transport policy. He focuses on digitalization, for example, analyzing how intelligent transport systems will change the economic reality of the EAEU. The scientist has developed approaches to creating intelligent transport systems that will form the basis for a unified transport space within the EAEU. This year, Alexander, and Yasser, won an award in the field of science and innovation for young scientists in the category “Social and Humanitarian Fields.”
Olga Lazareva, a research intern at the Medical Institute’s Molecular Pathophysiology Laboratory, is the winner of a competition for young scientists organized with the support of the Presidential Grants Foundation and T-Bank. Her team has created a cellular model of the placenta that better corresponds to the natural structure of the organ than existing analogues. The doctors achieved this by placing a layer of macrophages between the traditional cell layers of such systems, which play an important role during pregnancy and are responsible for ensuring that the fetus is not rejected by the mother’s body. The development is intended to find new methods of treating complications and creating medicines. RUDN is conducting many other studies aimed at helping to combat disease, hunger, gender inequality, negative changes in the climate, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and solving other problems.
Opportunities for scientific research at RUDN
Our university currently has more than 200 laboratories, over 40 scientific and scientific-educational centers, and 13 scientific institutes. There are more than 50 dissertation councils with the right to award scientific degrees.
The single point of entry into youth science at the university is the Telegram bot of the scientific student society. The service helps students join “NSO” (student scientific society) of their department, find a suitable laboratory or a research group, sign up to research clubs. The bot also sends a weekly digest from the Student Research Council and provides information about research competitions and events.
University students could receive support for their projects in various ways. For example, they can participate in the RUDN.VC scientific accelerator, which allows them to launch their own start-up. Also, they can receive financial to travel to conferences, forums, and competitions in other cities and countries. In addition, our university awards scholarships for publications based on the results of scientific events, achievements in scientific activity, victories and prize places in high-level competitions, and the results of internal competitions for scientific projects in the “Project Start” series. Financial support for student projects is also provided through competitions such as “Joint Start: Let’s Do Science Together,” “Best Student Community,” and case championships. Students can participate in the research of the university’s scientific teams.
Young scientists at the university have the following opportunities:
- to implement an individual project within the framework of the RUDN grant support system (grant amount — up to 3 million rubles per year);
- to lead a youth team and implement a scientific project within the same grant system (support amount — up to 6 million rubles per year);
- to receive an expert assessment of research results for the implementation of sustainable development goals at the annual International Scientific Conference on Sustainable Development Goals;
- to become one of the winners of the award in the field of science and innovation for young scientists. The amount of the award to the winners is 250,000 rubles, and it is awarded in two areas: social sciences and humanities, and natural sciences;
- to receive direct requests from industrial partners for R&D (for the creation of RID) and scientific and technical services.
In addition, our university has a points system to encourage publication activity and citations for all university employees. Payments for publications can be up to 250,000 rubles (for articles in the top 1% of journals), and for citations of a single work, up to 672,000 rubles. The final amount depends on the subject category of the article and its coefficient.
Leading scientists at RUDN University can head up a research team and implement a project with grant support from the university (grant amount up to 8 million rubles per year). Alternatively, they can implement an applied research project in the interests of an industrial partner, receiving up to 10 million rubles in grant support per year. In addition, they can receive financial support to invite leading speakers to a permanent scientific seminar or to organize and hold an international scientific and technical event. And thanks to the annual RUDN Megagrant competition, they can create new or modernize existing scientific infrastructure facilities for conducting interdisciplinary scientific research. And, of course, they can also become the winner of the RUDN award in the field of science and innovation in the amount of 500,000 rubles.
Our university has a wide range of opportunities and tools to support young scientists.
In 2021, RUDN launched a grant support system for young scientists and research teams. To date, 247 teams from various institutes and faculties, including those outside our university, have participated in the program.
Sergey Ivanov, a scientist from St. Petersburg, became the first winner of the RUDN University International Prize for scientific achievements and merits in the field of mathematics in the amount of 5 million rubles.
Egyptian scientist Abdelraouf Masoud Ali, associate professor at the Department of Environmental Management, Institute of Environmental Engineering, has been awarded the 2024 Egyptian State Incentive Prize in Agricultural Sciences.
In 2021, RUDN launched a grant support system for young scientists and research teams. To date, 247 teams from various institutes and faculties, including those outside our university, have participated in the program.
Sergey Ivanov, a scientist from St. Petersburg, became the first winner of the RUDN University International Prize for scientific achievements and merits in the field of mathematics in the amount of 5 million rubles.
Egyptian scientist Abdelraouf Masoud Ali, associate professor at the Department of Environmental Management, Institute of Environmental Engineering, has been awarded the 2024 Egyptian State Incentive Prize in Agricultural Sciences.