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UMA Foundation
The UMA Foundation, a Russian acronym for mind, young, active, is one of the leading Russian non-profit organizations established to develop and raise the prestige of Russian science. The UMA foundation helps young researchers to take their first steps in a scientific field and show the young generation that science can be an exciting endeavor that lead to a very satisfying and rewarding career. Innovations in science are the basis of all advanced technology, which means they determine a country's future prosperity.
Activities of the UMA Foundation include the popularization of scientific articles and the organization of scientific conferences and lectures in which the world's leading scientists participate. The UMA Foundation carries out career consulting of young scientists, helps them to write scientific articles and mentors them in their search for a tutor.
To increase the number of articles published by Russian scientists in the scientific literature, the UMA Foundation introduced a new position of science press secretary. The responsibilities of the science press secretary include cross-light of articles in the press, interacting with the press secretaries of popular as well as specialist scientific magazines in Russia and abroad, supporting young scientists and researchers in scientific institutes and contact with relevant scientists to raise the awareness of fundamental citations by Russian scientists.
Together with the International Center of Young Leaders in Science, the UMA Foundation created a project of the science press secretary school, which allows young participants to attend lectures by world renowned guest speakers, including Nobel laureates, to stimulate their interest in fundamental research The UMA Foundation has the support of leading research centers, academics and prominent business people. The foundation is financed by a grant from the President of Russian federation and private sponsors. Its latest projects support excellent scientific publications in 2014 for Russian scientists and a Young Naturalist Tournament for Students. The main features of the Tournament are:
• the team nature of competition • long-time work on tasks • public defense of scientific solutions
The main objectives of the Tournament are to find and support a cohort of talented young people, as well as to develop the creative abilities of students showing strong interest in science lessons at the early grade level. The UMA Foundation organized first meetings of science PR club, where participants were taught scientific blogging and how to publish their articles in prestigious international journals with high impact factor. The UMA Foundation is open to cooperation with other organizations and is a media partner of scientific activities of the Russian Academy of Science. In 2014 the foundation paid the publishing fees for 9 articles written by young Russian scientists; 5 more were paid for by sponsors.
The UMA Foundation is one of the leading non-profit organizations in Russia that supports young scientists and promotes scientific research. It was set up to revitalize Russian science and to encourage renewed enthusiasm and passion for science and innovation – values that are sometimes lacking in the younger generation. The foundation is governed by leading academics, heads of universities and prominent business people. Among its many other activities, the organization supports the First Open Institute for Regenerative Medicine for Young Scientists, a rapidly growing volunteer initiative that was set up by expatriate scientists as a means of giving hundreds of young scientists access to weekly lectures by leading international thinkers, as well as to promote goal-oriented scientific collaboration. The UMA Foundation states:
We believe scientists’ change the world. Not politicians, not oligarchs, scientists do.
Scientists create technologies that save peoples lives, make our life style more comfortable, improve our health and delay the effects of aging. Thanks to the work of scientists, we are able to appreciate the entire world in our lifetimes, communicate with others and understand peoples’ needs. The most wise among them unite together, based on their work designed to produce a better world and added value to the economy. We believe that the research of scientists, especially that of young ones, is seriously undervalued by the government and society. Many laws need to be redrafted, too many laboratories need new equipment, new personnel and innovative ideas. Modernization and innovative technologies will not be developed without serious investment in fundamental science in Russia. Today, bioscience not only can make a fortune for original researchers but make their lives more fulfilled, bringing creativity beyond even art and make a young scientist’s name legendary.
Apart from uniting on social media, the UMA Foundation organize interesting conferences and events. They also channel funding into fundamental research and development, and champion some of the possible career paths available in science for young people in Russia today.
Further objectives and roles"
1. Science Press Secretary. The activities of the scientific press secretary distinguishes fund MIND from other organizations. The main purpose of their work is the promotion and popularization of articles by young scientists and communication with Russian and foreign journalists.
2. Popularization of science. The MIND Foundation is the organizer of the lectures by scientists from all over the world, educational visits to working research laboratories and meetings of the club PR scientific school tournament.
3. Interconnection of education. The MIND Foundation coordinates the interaction between young scientists, students and various companies, investors and institutions. We have an extensive range of contacts in science and always will help a young scientist find what they need.
4. Career advice and motivation. How to make the first step on the road to success in a career in science? What challenges are coming at different stages in this path, and how to overcome them? Young scientists can learn from students scientific circles, where with the help of able tutors they can perform serious scientific work and publish the results in prestigious peer reviewed international journals. The MIND Foundation supports the publication activity of young scientists who are ready to begin publishing by paying the expenses of the winners of the Competition Scientific Publications MIND.
Objectives of MIND
• Identification of promising young people who are interested in natural and basic sciences, to facilitate the subsequent development of their professional competence • Incentives for the best personnel decisions in the leading universities of the country • Support professional and personal development of young scientists to maximize their success in science • Popularization of scientific activities in schools and universities • Formation of a positive image of the scientist in the eyes of young people • Implementation of vocational guidance for pupils with a penchant for scientific activity • Formation of personnel reserve for Russian scientific centers highly qualified young professionals, employment.
Principal activities
• Organization of interaction with research centers in order to identify their needs for specialists • Organization of interaction with the world's leading research centers and laboratories • Formation of a network of mentoring from leading Russian and foreign scientists for talented and promising young Russians • Organization of a series of meetings of Russian schoolchildren and students with well-known Russian and foreign scientists