MOSCOW -- (BUSINESS WIRE) --
The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skolkovo Tech) has invited thirteen outstanding research teams to submit full proposals for the next stage of competition for the first three Skolkovo Tech research centers. Invited full proposals are due on June 1, 2012, launching the next stage of the peer review and selection process, which will culminate in recommendations for funding and negotiation of contracts with Skolkovo Tech. The names of the first three research centers will be announced as agreements are reached. In addition to the thirteen full proposal invitations, teams are also being selected for planning awards to further develop research center concepts for submission in the next round, planned for late 2012.
Selection of the thirteen finalists was based on a peer review by more than 70 internationally recognized experts in relevant fields. Each proposal was evaluated on a set of published criteria, including collaborative research, education, and innovation components; impact on Russia; and building capacity at Skolkovo Tech. The reviewers noted the scientific and innovative quality of many of the submitted white papers. Mats Nordlund, VP of Research at Skolkovo Tech, said "Even though we could only invite a small number of full proposals in this first round, it is clear from the peer review that many more exciting and high potential research center ideas exist, which bodes well for our second round Call for Proposals."
The research teams of the thirteen invited full proposals are drawn from many of the world's leading universities and span the five strategic research fields of Skolkovo Tech: Biomedicine, Energy, Space, Nuclear and Information Sciences and Technologies. Each research center will partner Skolkovo Tech with an international co-lead institution and a Russian co-lead institution. International co-leads include the University of Groningen (NL), MIT (US), UC Berkeley (US), UCLA (US), LMU Munich (DE), University of Chicago (US), Cambridge University (UK), University of Helsinki (FI), and the University of Pennsylvania (US). Russian co-leads include Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, National University of Science and Technology (MISIS), Novosibirsk State University, Kazan Federal University, Nuclear Safety Institute RAS, Space Research Institute RAS, Institute of General Genetics RAS, and Institute of Biochemical Physics RAS.
Skolkovo Tech and its strategic partner MIT will co-host the second Skolkovo Tech Research Center Proposers Conference on July 9-10, 2012 in Skolkovo, Russia. This conference will enable additional leading international and Russian research teams to prepare for the second round of the Call for Proposals. Submissions for the second round are due October 15, 2012.
For more information about submitting Skolkovo Tech research center proposals, please visit: http://www.skolkovotech.ru/ and http://web.mit.edu/sktech/rc-call/
The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skolkovo Tech) is a private graduate research university in Skolkovo, Russia, a suburb of Moscow. Established in 2011 in collaboration with MIT, Skolkovo Tech will educate coming generations of researchers and entrepreneurs, advance scientific knowledge, and foster technological innovation to address critical issues facing Russia and the world in the new century. The university will be built on the best traditions of Russian and international education and research structures and practices, with a specific focus on entrepreneurship and innovation.
Founded in 1861, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a co-educational privately endowed research university, is dedicated to advancing knowledge and educating students in science, technology and other areas of scholarship to serve the nation and world. The Institute has more than 1,000 faculty and 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
CONTACT:
Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology
Ivan Sherstov, +74979670148 ex. 2181
sherstov@skolkovotech.ru