IRKUTSK REGION, March 13. /TASS/. The largest in the Northern hemisphere Baikal neutrino telescope (Baikal-GVD), which Russian scientists plan to use in order to better understand the processes of emergence and evolution of the universe, was put into operation on Saturday.

"We expect that our colleagues will make their contribution, we will all together understand the Universe, we will reveal its history, how galaxies were born," Russia’s Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov told reporters. He noted that this is also important for the region, since science is one of the drivers of regional development.

Director of the Institute for Nuclear Research at the Russian Academy of Sciences Maxim Libanov told reporters that about 2.5 bln rubles ($33.98 mln) were invested in the project. It is planned to develop and supplement the project. By 2030, if new larger telescopes are not built in the world, Baikal-GVD will become the largest on Earth.

The Baikal-GVD neutrino telescope is a mega-science facility. Several neutrino telescopes operate in the world, including Antarctica. The Baikal Telescope is a unique scientific installation that is included in the Global Neutrino Network as its most important element in the Northern hemisphere of the Earth.