BRIEFLY ABOUT THE RESULTS OF THE RASA CONFERENCE IN BERLIN

The 1st RASA conference in Berlin has ended — the first after the decision of the American RASA to create the European Coordination Council. The main outcome of this conference was that European colleagues, especially those who left Russia to Europe after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, found common ground with Russian-speaking scientists in the United States, especially those who have left long ago — before or shortly after the collapse of the USSR, and found their place in American and world science.

In my opinion, maintenance of this relationship is a key character for developing unified positions on various issues and consolidation of the European wing of Russian-speaking scientists. I would like to remind you that the previously existing European RASA ceased to exist after 2014, probably due to the lack of the single scientific ecosystem that exists in the USA, as well as the less integration of many then European colleagues into European institutions and societies, and, at the same time, a greater focus on Russia. Today the situation has changed and we decided to «go from the other side» and create the «European wing» of the American organization.

Discussions during the conference identified both significant problems faced by newly displaced scientists in Europe, and a wide variety of these problems depending on the country of residence.

Also during correspondence and discussions, it became clear that, according to Lenin, «before we unite, we must divide.» Simply put, it is necessary to determine what different groups exist among Russian-speaking scientists abroad. We differ in time and causes of emigration, in age and career stage, in scientific fields and interests, and finally in countries and societies in which we are located. Some of us have and continue to be in contact with Russia, some are emigrants for political and professional reasons, some of us left a long time ago and do not keep contact with our previous country, and some left the USSR and/or had no relation with Russia.

Because we are connected by a language and cultural community, we are generally ready to discuss common or private issues with one another, but when discussing one issue, it is important to clearly identify which group or strategist that discussion relates to. We agreed that our sociologists (Sergei Erofeev) would determine these groups to facilitate mutual communication. Sociological work in the context of a new and expanding contingent of RASA members and Russian-speaking scientists abroad in general is very important.

Speaking of a group of scientists from Russia who have recently moved to the European Union or are on temporary positions in Eurasia, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — they are experiencing great difficulties as emigrants of the previous wave in the early stages. These difficulties, however, are further complicated by the negative attitude towards all Russians because of the aggressive policy of the Russian state and the war in Ukraine.

The most significant and essential suggestion in this context was made in the report of the T-Invariant head Olga Orlova Olga Orlov. I hope she will voice this proposal herself, but the point is that there is a reason to create new academic places in institutions of many European countries in order to enhance the overall European scientific potential and bring the level of scientific research in relatively less developed EU countries by recruiting strong scientists to these countries, including those forcibly displaced from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries. This is a reasonable offer, and it reminds me of the extensive EPSCOR INBRE and CoBRE program in the USA, an active participant and beneficiary of which I was. It is not yet clear how feasible such a strategy is in the current financial and political realities of the European Union, but we agreed that it should be tried.

American colleagues can certainly act not only as scientific and professional advisers in their fields for other Russian-speaking colleagues who need it, but also generally serve as reputable lawyers and experts in the process of forming scientific policy for immigrant scientists in the European Union and other regions. I am very grateful to my American colleagues, Igor Efimov, Tatiana Tatarinova, Alexander Tropsha, and Sergei Erofeev, who overcame a large distance and came to this conference in Berlin. Many thanks to Vice President of RASA Address Yakovlev Yakovlev Andrei , Alexander Libman from the Free University of Berlin and other colleagues who have put in a lot of strength and organizational talent to make this meeting possible!