For the first time the Ministry of education demanded that the University return funds for government programs
As it became known “Kommersant”, the Ministry of education demanded that the MIFI to return the funds to the state grant — this was the first time in the history of the program, launched by Vladimir Putin in 2010. Officials claim that the University should pay in the budget of 22.5 million rubles, because his laboratory did not achieve the promised state results, and the lead scientist, a U.S. citizen, “has not fulfilled obligations on the personal presence.” Scientists say: the problems with the research started due to the fact that the leadership of the MIFI refused to provide funding. The administration calls these claims “dependent position,” the University administration is convinced that the laboratory itself should earn money. Now the Ministry is preparing a mechanism for the return of the grant budget: it can affect all employees MEPhI, which are already warning about possible wage cuts.
Evgeny Grigoriev and Anatol Goldin entered MEPhI in 1969, have both graduated from College and graduate school, where she researched the effects of electromagnetic fields on materials. In 1980 he defended his thesis, after which the road scholars temporarily separated. In the restructuring, Mr. Goldin engaged in cooperatives, “then mediation, trade down to cars with refrigerators, three years outdoor advertising”. When his friends managed to “make money on a plant for the processing of aluminium”, Anatoly Zholnin joined them, but the factory continued to engage in scientific research. Mr. Grigoriev remained in the MIFI to teach students physics and simultaneously “continued for the soul to engage in your favorite topics.” In 2008, Symposium on powder metallurgy Evgeniy Grigoriev met Eugene Olevsky, a renowned scientist from the Ukraine who emigrated to USA and worked at the University of San Diego.
“He is engaged in low-voltage spark-plasma sintering of powders, and we had high-voltage sintering, — told “Kommersant” Mr. Grigoriev.— We found common interests, continued to communicate.” When in 2010 the government of Vladimir Putin approved the program of mega-grants, a scientist from the University suggested that the University and American colleague to submit a joint application. At the end of 2011 they managed to win a grant for the creation in MEPhI laboratory of electromagnetic methods of production of new materials. To work connected and Anatoly Zholnin: “I understand everything else, except for science, not for me.”
“We use powerful as lightning, electric discharges, vozdeistviem them on dispersion medium and powders. Mostly metal, but not only, — says Mr. Grigoriev.— The traditional method of powder metallurgy is when the workpiece is heated in a furnace dozens of hours until it’s baked. And we have whole process can take from 5-10 minutes to microseconds, and the resulting material has much better properties.” Mr. Gregory recalls that in Soviet times, their laboratory has created a unique solid alloy with the addition of diamond, and tantalum capacitor high capacity. “But the restructuring of many of our projects have been closed,” he sighs.
Group under the guidance of the leading scientist Eugene Olevsky received from the Russian budget of 150 million roubles in 2011-2013.
Scientists say that in the first three years they didn’t have any particular problems — only the usual bureaucratic delays. The first tranche came only in November 2011, and in December the laboratory was to prepare a report on progress over the year. “The first equipment had to be ordered on parole without pay, — says Mr. Grigoriev.— The University gave the ruined building, we did a major overhaul”. As a US citizen Eugene Olevsky and a half month could not get a pass to the closed nuclear University — supervised the work of the hostel.
“Look for the money themselves.”
In 2013, the laboratory successfully reported on the implementation of the megagrant. “We gathered all the possible equipment to work with powders and high-voltage and low-voltage and magnetic-impulse pressing, and microwave sintering, — says Mr. Grigoriev. — Nowhere else in the world there is no such equipment in the same laboratory”. In 2013, the staff of Eugene Olevsky, together with the MEPhI has applied for a renewal of the grant. The Ministry entered into a supplemental agreement: the state in 2014, the lab allocates 22.5 million rubles, and in 2015, the same must provide the University from extra-budgetary sources. In this case the contract stated: if the University does not pay their share, he is obliged to return budget money. With this item and is having problems.
The year 2014 was in normal mode, we spent 19.5 million rubles., the rest of the Ministry froze. And in 2015, the University did not transfer funds.Evgeniy Grigoriev
“Since January, the lab was forced to not work at full capacity. Stocks of consumables quickly ended the flight scientist from the United States was not paid, employees received only a small salary, making up the bulk of the salary. “To all the questions the University administration said, “Look for the money yourself”,” says Mr. Grigoriev.
In may, Eugene Olevsky in an official letter notified the rector that the work is almost stopped. Receiving no answer, he flew to the USA ahead of schedule and began to manage a team remotely (on the letter “y” with a request for comments by the American scientist did not answer). The team achieved from the Ministry of defrost remaining from the 2014 budget of 2.5 million rubles, they are the laboratory worked to the end of the year.
In April 2016 the Ministerial grant Council decided that both parties had not complied with the terms of the renewal of the grant: the University has not transferred the money, and Eugene Olevsky has worked in Russia is less than was required under the contract. But “given the prospects of scientific research and the importance of the results achieved,” the Council gave me a second chance: the agreement was extended to 2016, to MIFI and the lab was able to close the debt.
“But the University administration is and then not given the provisions of the Treaty of money, — says Evgeny Grigoriev.— Have Olevsky ended visa highly qualified staff, without salary from the University, he could not legally come”. The laboratory continued to work and even received a three-year grant from Russian state scientific Foundation (RSF) — 6 million rubles a year. “At the end of November, we turned to colleagues from the ninth Department, which had the contract for 18 million rubles. They agreed to form a higher co-financing, we added 6 million rubles from the RSF and thus self-fulfilled the condition of payment by the University of 22.5 million rubles., — says Mr. Grigoriev.— We thought the Council would take note of that funding came too late, so Olevsky did not have time to apply for a visa to come.” “And we were hoping that the Council will take into account that we have of scientific achievements, publications, patents. See that the laboratory was successfully developing even without a leading scientist,” adds Anatoly Zholnin. In December, the lab receives another grant three years state assignment of the Ministry of education for 10 million rubles per year.
At the end of 2016, the team was sent to grant Council a report on the work. Independent scientific experts anonymously evaluate the work of the laboratory, gave a positive opinion:
“Research project done efficiently and in full volume”, “the whole project was held at the high level, all goals and objectives accomplished.”
But in April 2017 grant Council decided to accept the project “ineffective” because of “the failure of a leading scholar of the obligations on the personal presence at the University.” The Ministry demanded that the University return allocated in 2014 to 22.5 million rubles.
“It is disrespectful both to the state and to the Ministry”