On April 9, 2010, the Government of the Russian Federation adopted Resolution No. 220 “On Measures to Attract Leading Scientists to Russian Higher Education Institutions, Research Organizations, and State Research Centers of the Russian Federation,” which launched the Megagrants program.
The program is designed to address the following objectives:
- Attract world-renowned scientists, including Russian nationals living abroad, to Russian universities and research organizations to conduct cutting-edge research, and to encourage young people to pursue careers in science, education, and high technology
- Fill gaps in Russian science in fields that have advanced rapidly worldwide in recent decades, and build competitive domestic research teams under the leadership of leading scientists
- Transfer promising developments arising from the research into the economy
Since the Megagrants program began in 2010, 352 world-class laboratories have been established, led by top scientists from around the world. Laboratory heads include 190 foreign scientists, 118 Russian nationals living abroad, and 44 Russian scientists. More than half of the staff at these laboratories are young researchers under the age of 39. Over 140 educational and research organizations have taken part in the program.
In different years, the grant amount ranged from 90 to 150 million rubles. Grants were awarded for projects in five main scientific areas:
- Natural and exact sciences – 164 projects
- Engineering and technology – 112 projects
- Medical and health sciences – 37 projects
- Agricultural sciences – 12 projects
- Social sciences and the humanities – 33 projects
In 2024, on the President’s instructions, the program was modernized. The President of the Russian Federation instructed the Government of the Russian Federation, together with the Russian Science Foundation, to develop a unified program aimed at attracting leading scientists and young researchers to Russian higher education institutions and research organizations (the Megagrants program). In line with paragraph 3 of the List of Instructions of the President of the Russian Federation dated July 30, 2024, No. Pr-1435, the Russian Science Foundation began implementing the unified program in 2025.
