A session titled "Investing in Eternity: How Capital Creates a Scientific Legacy" was held... Dedicated to the role of charitable foundations , dedicated to the role of charitable foundations in advancing science and technology, was held at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The participants discussed support for young scientists, research funding mechanisms, collaboration between science and business, as well as the contribution of private initiatives to achieving national goals in scientific and technological progress.
Opening the discussion, Denis Sekirinsky, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, proposed viewing foundations not only as a source of funding but also as institutions capable of shaping the future. This became the central theme of the discussion on the role of philanthropy in the country’s scientific and technological development.
Oksana Oracheva, General Director of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, noted that modern philanthropy is built on a combination of different support mechanisms:
“Alongside scholarships and grants, endowments are playing an increasingly important role, providing sustainable funding for research. In addition, foundations can promote the value of scientific knowledge through educational initiatives and the popularization of science.”
Building on this point, Elena Shmeleva, Chair of the Council of the Sirius Federal Territory, emphasized that foundations are able to act faster than government institutions, experiment with new forms of support, and create conditions for developing talent at every stage of the educational journey.
The discussion on investment in human capital was continued by Tatyana Zhuravleva, Director General of the Andrey Melnichenko Foundation, and Irina Bakhtina, General Director of the Volnoe Delo (Free Enterprise) Foundation. They argued that foundations should not only support the most successful school and university students but also create opportunities for talent development regardless of location. They also stressed the importance of fostering an educational and research environment that helps individuals realize their potential.
Vladimir Bespalov, Director General of the Russian Science Foundation, also stressed that people are the most important outcome of this work. He noted that support for research projects should go hand in hand with the development of research teams and the training of professionals capable of bringing scientific developments into the economy and industry in the future.
The participants paid particular attention to collaboration between science and business. Evgeny Borisov, Co-founder and Partner at Kama Flow, noted that promising innovations require not only investment but also an environment that enables scientists to turn scientific ideas into sought-after products and technology companies. Supporting early-stage projects and expanding opportunities for researchers in the regions remain priorities.
The participants agreed that cooperation among the government, universities, research organizations, businesses, and charitable foundations remains a key condition for the development of science. It is the combination of resources, expertise, and different support mechanisms that makes it possible to create the conditions for new scientific schools, technologies, and research teams to emerge.
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