Vladimir Putin met with the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yuri Osipov
Vladimir Putin began his working week with the Big Russian Encyclopedia brought to his Novo-Ogaryovo residence by Yuri Osipov, the President of the RAS.
Mr Osipov lost no time in sharing the good news with the Prime Minister: Over the past six years 12 volumes have been put out, as well as a separate volume devoted entirely to Russia.
"We were planning to bring out two volumes a year, but the actual pace is higher and we may be able to issue the full encyclopedia by the end of 2012, perhaps the beginning of 2013, and not by 2018," the RAS President said.
While Mr Osipov was reporting his outfit's successes, the Prime Minister looked through the volumes with interest. It was Mr Putin who set the task of publishing a national encyclopedia when he was still President. The first volume devoted to Russia is prefaced with Mr Putin's address on July 7, 2004, in which the then President expressed hope that the new Russian Encyclopedia "based on unique material will have a broad readership". He was proved right: 50,000 copies are being handed over free of charge to regional libraries, Mr Osipov revealed. Simultaneously the RAS is preparing an electronic version, which will form a fully-fledged portal called "Knowledge".
While the Encyclopedia is faring well, things in the material world are less rosy. Mr Osipov shared his concern over delays in building housing for young scientists. The RAS is trying to overcome the paralysis in the construction industry jointly with the Ministry of Regional Development. But the head of the Academy said that by December 2008 the basic average salary of a researcher had reached 30,000 roubles. A programme of training young scientists is underway and more than 1,000 graduates stay on to work at the Academy of Sciences every year.
National issue
Pyotr Skobelev