Kaliningrad Region among the Leaders of Scientific and Technological Development of Russia: Rector’s Comment

The Kaliningrad region shows a steady growth in the rating, and this is the overall victory of the entire scientific and educational community of the region. For our university such result is the logical consequence of complex work to create in the university the most favorable conditions for scientists, graduate students and students.

We are sure the high value of environment attractiveness for researchers is directly related to priority areas and projects, which are implemented under the program “Priority 2030”. Open competitions for scientific projects have become a powerful driver for generating interdisciplinary ideas and supporting research initiatives. Today, motivated researchers are worth the weight of gold. Many universities fight for them in fierce competition. We are no exception. But the IKBFU’s priority task is to create an environment for the development and realization of everyone’s ambitions. Our motto: “Grow and develop together with the university!”. We use three key tools. The first is youth support. We provide grants for postdocs — just qualified candidates and doctors of sciences — up to 2 million rubles per year. A separate grant system has been created under the program “Priority” for students and graduate students. We try to “attach” the students at university with rates, so that they feel their association with IKBFU. The second is an optimal combination of scientific and educational activities — our innovation: position “Associate Researcher” and “Research Professor” with reduced workload, which allows to successfully combine teaching with scientific activity. The third is the program “Academic Relocation”, as a result of which we were able to recruit and transfer to IKBFU from other regions of Russia 20 highly qualified specialists in the field of medicine, chemistry, biotechnology, sinology. For those moving in we offer a competitive salary, plus an increased level of payment at a distance of two years, provide either service apartment or rent housing, full social package, up to service in our clinical diagnostic center, access to sports facilities, help to enroll of children in schools and kindergartens.

And, of course, the key factor for the future is a new modern campus, which construction within the framework of the national project “Youth and children” is well underway, and equipment for laboratories is already being purchased through regional support funds (1 billion rubles). It is not just a building, but a fundamentally new infrastructure for life, research and innovation that will raise the comfort and possibilities of scientific work to a qualitatively new level. Campus is the maximum possible realization of the boldest research ambitions: “from the creation of it’s own laboratory to a breakthrough technological project”. It is really a great motivation to realize the research ambitions of young, already established it’s positions as professionals. I believe that the campus will be a point of attraction.