[April 10, 2012]

Scientists Worldwide Step up to Define Skolkovo Tech Research Centers

In its first of three rounds of requests for Research Center proposals, which ended March 13, 2012, the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skolkovo Tech) in Skolkovo, Russia tallied 129 submissions from over 360 universities and research institutions representing Russia and over 20 countries, including submissions involving 6 Nobel (News - Alert) Laureates, one Fields Medal winner, and numerous national academy members as well as many outstanding young researchers.

Research Center proposals offer preliminary visions for collaborative, interdisciplinary, international research endeavors based at Skolkovo Tech. In addition, future Planning submissions request support for the development of proposals for upcoming rounds.

After peer-review by a panel of international experts to identify finalists, Skolkovo Tech will send selected investigators invitations to submit full proposals and will announce Planning selections by April 14, 2012. Invited full proposals are due on June 1, 2012. First round Research Center award decisions will be announced on June 30, 2012.

"We are thrilled to have attracted the interest of so many outstanding researchers," says Mats Nordlund, Skolkovo Tech Vice President of Research. "Not only does this response validate the Skolkovo Tech mission to integrate teaching, research, innovation and entrepreneurship, it also shows that investigators around the world are eager for opportunities to collaborate with the excellent scientists and engineers in Russia's universities and research institutes."

As part of a three-year collaboration with MIT (News - Alert) to develop Skolkovo Tech and its Research Centers, MIT and Skolkovo Tech co-hosted an initial Proposer's conference in February, attracting over 300 attendees. MIT also worked with Skolkovo Tech to facilitate the international peer review of current and future proposals.

"This response echoes the strong showing of interest seen at the Proposer's conference," says Michael Cima, David H. Koch Professor of Engineering at MIT and Faculty Lead for Research in the SkTech/MIT Initiative. "So far, this cooperative effort between MIT and Skolkovo Tech has been extremely productive."

Submissions for the second round of proposals 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. Skolkovo Tech will enroll its first full inaugural class in 2014 and plans to become home to 1,200 master's and doctoral students, 300 postdoctoral scholars and 200 faculty by the end of the decade. 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.

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