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President Putin meets President of Russian Academy of Sciences

The meeting has sparkled a particularly strong interest in light of the suggested reform of the academy

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, July 3 (Itar-Tass) - On Wednesday President Putin meets with President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Fortov.

The meeting has sparkled a particularly strong interest in light of the suggested reform of the academy which caused public uproar and triggered protests from the Academy members.

A bill on the reform of the Academy will be discussed by the State Duma at first reading on Wednesday.

The bill on the radical reform of the Academy of Sciences envisages the establishment of a state-run public organization - The Russian Academy of Sciences, with subsequent liquidation of the existing Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Under a resolution of the Russian government the Academies of Education, Architecture, Construction Sciences and the Russian Academy of Arts were turned over to the respective authorized bodies of the executive power which supervise the related organizations.

The organizations and scientific establishments which were subordinate to the reformed academies will be turned over to a new Agency which will manage the state property of scientific institutions under the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The reformed Academy will abolish the rank of correspondent member, and all its members will be given the title of an Academician. The reform also envisages a three- year moratorium on a new election of members to the Academy.

The president of the Academy of Sciences will be the only Executive body of the Academy. The president will be elected for a term of five years out of the academicians of the Academy. The president is to stay in office for no more than two terms in succession.

Budgetary contributions to the reform of the Academy will amount to more than 500 million roubles. The bill on the reform of the academy envisages increases in salaries paid to the Academicians. The bill stipulates that the Academicians are paid academic scholarships, established by the Russian government, paid for life to the members of the Academy since the moment they are granted the status of an Academician.

After the bill comes into force the salaries paid to the holders of the rank of an Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences are to go up to 50,000 roubles on the average.

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