Kovalchuk noted the unprecedented program of creating mega-installations in Russia.

Russia is implementing an unprecedented program for the creation of mega—installations - synchrotrons and neutron sources. This was announced on May 25 by Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the Kurchatov Institute Research Center, during a speech at the scientific session of the General Meeting of the Department of Nanotechnology and Information Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) on the eve of the General Meeting of RAS members.

In particular, according to Kovalchuk, installations are being launched on Russian Island (REEF), in Novosibirsk (SKIF), and in Gatchina (PEAK).

"We are building a new synchrotron in the Protvino (SILA) science city near Moscow with a free electron laser, which has no analogues in the world. <...> This year we are commissioning Russia's only ion therapy complex and proton oncophthalmology center," he said.

According to the scientist, having seen how chaos turns into an ordered structure, how nature creates materials at the nanoscale in real time, scientists will be able to "spy" on it and transfer domestic technologies to a qualitatively new level.

Kovalchuk also emphasized the increased role of the Russian Academy of Sciences at the state level and praised the transition of institutes under the scientific and methodological leadership of the Academy, calling it extremely important to achieve a qualitatively new level of scientific development.

"There have been global tectonic changes in the academy. The Academy has become an essential part of the state science management system," he said.

The key topic of the speech was also the analysis of the priorities of scientific and technological development of the country. Kovalchuk divided them into tactical and strategic ones. Tactical priorities create conditions for the implementation of strategic priorities, but in most cases they are market-based and sectoral in nature. Strategic priorities based on fundamental science lead to a change in the technological structure and ensure the leading position of the state.

Speaking about modern challenges, the scientist urged not to rely on the "nuclear umbrella", but to move on to creating a nature-like technosphere.

"We should be talking about the introduction of fundamentally new nature—like technologies that do not harm the world around them, but exist in harmony with it and will allow restoring the balance between the biosphere and the technosphere that has been disrupted by man — this is really a challenge on a global scale," said the president of the Kurchatov Institute Research Center.

"The strategic goal is to create a hybrid reactor"

Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the Kurchatov Institute Research and Development Center, on modern developments, fast reactors and the future of nuclear energy

Kovalchuk said on March 19 that the development of nature-like technologies has opened up opportunities for interference in human life and the process of evolution. According to him, this intervention can go in several directions: through nanobiotechnology, as well as through cognitive technologies. The Kurchatov Institute, for example, is developing an "artificial cell" — a biorobot that can be used in medicine by delivering drugs to blood vessels, but at the same time has the potential of selective weapons of mass destruction.