Artem Oganov on the VYZOV Prize

The VYZOV National Award in Future Technology has been established in Russia. The monetary prize is ten million rubles. Why do people call it an alternative to the Nobel Prize? Can the mathematician Grigori Perelman receive it? Will the mistakes of Silicon Valley be avoided? Why has the number of applications surprised even the experts? We have talked about it to Artem Oganov, Chairman of the Award Scientific Committee, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, and Professor at The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology.

– Artem, major awards are often compared to the illustrious Nobel Prize. For example, receiving the Fields Medal is considered the same as getting the Nobel Prize in Mathematics, and the Global Energy Prize is colloquially called the Energy Nobel Prize. Will VYZOV become the technological Nobel Prize?

– We shouldn’t really talk about it that way. Our award is not secondary. It is not a second Nobel Prize but an entirely new and intrinsically valuable one. And it is based on completely different principles. For example, the Nobel Prize is awarded for achievements in specific science branches like physics, chemistry, and so on, while VYZOV can be awarded for cross-disciplinary projects and engineering solutions.

There is another distinction. You can be nominated for the Nobel Prize by a handful of selected scientists and organizations. With VYZOV, you can nominate yourself. The Nobel Prize is often given for discoveries made long ago – the record waiting time is 56 years. By the time the award is given, the laureate is often already retired. But only those who are actively working can receive the VYZOV Award. A retired scientist will not be able to get it, but he still has a chance for the Nobel Prize.

The Nobel Prize, as well as our State Science Prizes, are awarded for the already obtained results, while VYZOV is given out for future technology.

– It sounds a little strange. What does that mean?

– Well, of course, the VYZOV Award can also be given out for discoveries that have already been made. But we want the time between the discovery and the award ceremony to be as short as possible. This award is supposed to emphasize the importance of the winning projects to help speed up their implementation. 

The economy doesn't show much demand for scientific results, and it is the Achilles’ heel of all global science. Science-intensive business is considered risky: it requires considerable investments and gives no guarantee that they will pay off in the short term. Ninety percent of all Silicon Valley startups die right on the vine.

The number of applications we have received proves that most people underestimate the power of Russian science.

So, the VYZOV Award should be able to guide businesses and show them what science projects are worth investing in. Turning a scientific result into a functioning technology is not a quick process, and a ten-year timeframe is something to aim for. At the beginning of this period, usually, very few people believe that a certain technology will actually be able to change the world, and the VYZOV Award is supposed to point out such promising technologies.

– Let's say I'm a businessman who doesn't understand anything in science. Why should I believe you? You are not responsible for your winning projects, are you? You have just said that over ninety percent of startups fail …

– Russian business now exists in a completely new environment. The we- can-buy-everything-overseas principle no longer works. We have to create solutions ourselves. Our experts, the country's most reputable experts in their respective fields, put their names as a seal of approval and guarantee that a certain project is world-class and has serious prospects for successful implementation. The winners themselves are guidelines for businesses looking to minimize investment risks.

– Figuratively speaking, receiving the award should not be the final goal for a project but an opportunity to grow it further.

– That's exactly right. But we look at future technology as broadly as possible. Winners can be authors not only of applied works but also of fundamental ones. For example, Grigori Perelman who proved the famous Poincaré theorem.

– Artem, I’m sure many people will find your words outlandish. What kind of business would invest their hard-earned money into math, which is only understandable to Perelman-types? I can’t even imagine such thing...

– Let me try to explain. We want to support the coolest science projects and the coolest technologies. Yes, the VYZOV Award focuses mainly on future technology, and we want to make it possible to put scientific discoveries into practice as quickly as possible. Yes, Perelman's work doesn't promise immediate or even foreseeable practical results. But what if some investor sees Perelman on the winner list and decides to pay attention to his outstanding work? What if, even though the invested money will not be returned, this investor still supports the project? We must consider such an opportunity. My experience shows that even the most abstract scientific results do eventually come to practical fruition.

– So, you form the landscape of our science and let businesses choose where to invest?

– That’s right. And this approach did not appear out of the blue. It emerged when our committee began going through the applications. Frankly speaking, we were shocked. We knew that Russian science was strong. But seeing that it was that strong was a surprise.

– Didn’t the crisis of the nineties have a long-lasting negative effect on our science?

– It certainly did. That’s why most people tend to underestimate the power of Russian science. But look at the results – somehow, we are still creating unique hypersonic technologies and advanced vaccines. Russian science responds to all challenges amazingly quickly and efficiently. But who are the people behind these science projects? When we saw the applications, we were shocked by how many top scientists there were in Russia and what incredible work they do. Some of the names were entirely new to us. Several Scientific Committee members decided to go and see the presented developments with their own eyes. And they discovered both fascinating works and their authors.

– So, you discovered Russian science like Columbus discovered America?

– You can put it that way. However, there is one major flaw in our work. We have received 218 applications, but the award only has four categories. We had to choose just one of several amazing scientists in each of them. It is not easy emotionally – the strongest works that deserve all due credit had to be left out.

– Are you planning to make the award international? If so, will there be scientists from unfriendly states among the laureates?

– Next year, we will add an international category. We do not care about citizenship, political views, nationality, gender, etc. The award is given out only for scientific results. However, we aren't sure if scientists from unfriendly states will agree to accept the award. But that’s something we have no control over. On our part, we are open to the whole world.

The VYZOV Award is organized by the Vyzov Foundation for the Development of Scientific and Cultural Relations in cooperation with Gazprombank, one of the largest financial institutions in Russia, and with support from the Moscow City Government. The general partner of the Award is the Rosatom State Corporation.

In 2023, the Award Scientific Committee received 218 applications from 38 regions of Russia. The youngest applicant was only 20 years old, while the average candidate was between 35 and 40. A distinctive feature of the Award is the possibility of self-nomination.

Award categories:

Vision – for a scientific achievement that has influenced the development of future technologies (awarded to scientists under 35)

Engineering Solution – for an invention that has significantly advanced a particular technology.

Scientist of the Year – for personal contribution to creating future technologies and transforming the landscape of science

Breakthrough – for scientific work providing solutions to important scientific or technological problems.

The prize fund of the VYZOV National Award in Future Technology amounts to 40 million rubles – 10 million rubles in each of the four categories. The winners will be announced at the award ceremony on December 19 in the Manege Central Exhibition Hall. The ceremony was directed by Konstantin Bogomolov, Artistic Director of the Moscow Drama Theater on Malaya Bronnaya Street.

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