Scientists tend to move from big cities to Arctic scientific towns, expert says

MURMANSK, August 19. /TASS/. The current trend, where scientists are moving from megacities to the Arctic and the Far North’s small towns with developed scientific infrastructures (the so-called “science towns”), will continue and may increase in the future, Director General of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Kola Scientific Center (in the Murmansk Region) Sergey Krivovichev told TASS.
“The trend, where scientists, including young ones, move from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Arctic science towns is evident and, I think, it will continue and may even intensify,” he said on sidelines of an event associated with the upcoming 4th Congress of Young Scientists. “The Arctic development is a key priority, and additionally, this trend is also facilitated by “northern” salaries that are higher than the national average, and by developed scientific infrastructures, including modern laboratories and world-class equipment. However, the most important thing in developing the Arctic is that people need to be living there, not work shifts. You need to come here to understand this.”
He spoke about the Murmansk Region, which is the Arctic development’s flagship. “The concentration of research specialists here, in terms of the population’s proportion, is probably one of the highest in Russia. The Murmansk Region is very rich in production, technology, industry and science. Russia’s strategic projects are being implemented here: LNG, lithium, fertilizers and many others. The state and big businesses demonstrate interest and a huge demand for scientific research, especially the demand for young scientists with fresh ideas who already tomorrow will address problems important to Russia,” he said.
The expert highlighted the convenient logistics with short distances. “This is also important for a scientist – so that to get immersed fully in research, not to solve everyday problems, traveling huge distances from home to work. An example for you is here – I come from St. Petersburg, I’ve worked at the university for 25 years, managed a department. In 2017, I came to the Murmansk Region, and have never regretted it a bit. It’s very interesting here, good working conditions,” he said in conclusion.
The 4th Congress of Young Scientists will be held in Sirius Federal Territory on November 20-22, 2024. It is a key annual event of the Decade of Science and Technology, which President Vladimir Putin has announced for 2022-2031.