It is planned to create a scientific council under the State Commission for the Development of the Arctic.
The corresponding decision was made at a meeting on the organization of research and development in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, the office of the plenipotentiary representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District said in a statement.
The Scientific Arctic Council will ensure the coordination of federal executive authorities and scientific organizations, and will help shape the research agenda on the Arctic. In addition, it is planned to create a grant fund for the implementation of priority projects.
"There is a big program ahead related to the construction of an icebreaker. There are educational institutions that should train specialists for the Arctic. We are solving the task of increasing cargo transportation along the Northern Sea Route. This requires the development of communications, icebreaking groups, and a more detailed study of the ice situation. All these issues need to be resolved," said Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev.
According to him, the Arctic attracts scientists from all over the world in many areas – the study of geology, bioresources, ecology, permafrost melting, global warming, economics and society.
Russian scientists occupy leading positions on a number of issues, Trutnev stressed. More than 500 organizations in 50 subjects of the Russian Federation conduct research in the Arctic.
Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished
