Ural Federal University’s Projects Get Support From The Russian Science Foundation
17 projects of young scientists of the Ural Federal University will be supported by the Russian Science Foundation. The Russian Science Foundation has summarized the results of three competitions and will award grants to enterprising young researchers and scientific groups, as well as prolong the project of one youth group for 2020. This year, four scientific groups and 12 individual studies will receive financial support. Among the winners of the competitions are employees of the Institute of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the Graduate School of Economics and Management, the Ural Institute of Humanities, the Institute of Chemical Engineering, the Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture, the Ural Institute of Power Engineering, and the Institute of Physics and Technology.
“The aim of our project is to develop a new technology for the production of optical nanoceramics that are additionally functionalized with carbon quantum dots. The goal is to achieve the desired luminescence properties. To date, we have successfully tested the synthesis technology of optical nanoceramics and verified the possibility of controlled modification of the luminescence characteristics by impurity ions of rare earths and iron group ions. In addition, we plan to improve the properties of optical nanoceramics with carbon quantum dots. As tasks, the ways to modernize the synthesis technology with quantum dots obtained by both bottom-up and top-down methods are outlined,” says Arseniy Kiryakov, Head of the Laboratory of Radiation Control and Solid State Dosimetry at UrFU.
With the Foundation’s support, UrFU scientists will also study domain walls in thin films of segmentoelectrics, properties of magnetic smart materials for biomedical applications. They will also study patterns of sustainable development of Russian regions, create gels for wound healing, new biologically active compounds for glaucoma treatment, fluorophores for optical materials, and much more.
Financial support is provided within the framework of the Presidential Program of Research Projects. The program was developed by the Foundation in 2017 by order of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Its main goals are to support long-term projects of leading scientists and to create career paths for promising young researchers.
This time the Russian Science Foundation supported 431 initiative projects of young scientists (up to 33 years old) with grants up to 2 million rubles annually. 254 projects of young scientific groups (up to 35 years old) with funding up to 6 million rubles annually and extended funding for 109 similar projects supported in 2020.
“The competition of young scientific groups is related to the support of a new generation of scientific leaders. The Foundation awards grants to young candidates and scientists under the age of 35. The size of a grant – from 3 to 6 million rubles annually, its duration – three years with the possibility of extension on a competitive basis for another two years. The project should be aimed, among other things, at developing the scientific careers of young scientists, broadening the horizons for planning their scientific work and forming research teams that in the future could become the basis for new scientific departments and laboratories,” the representatives of the Foundation explain.