Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Phosagro – Phosagro – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Moscow. December 11, 2025. Sergey Krivovichev, Director General of the Kola Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (KSC RAS), was awarded the Sber Scientific Prize in the Physical World category.
The awards ceremony was held in Moscow. It was attended by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko, Minister of Healthcare of the Russian Federation Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Valery Falkov, President and Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank Herman Gref, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Rector of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology Alexander Kuleshov, and others.
In 2025, the Sber Science Prize received 290 applications—almost triple the number from the previous year. The majority of the works—214—were in three main categories: "Physical World," "Life Sciences," and "Digital Universe." The "AI in Science" category for young scientists received 76 applications. Most of the applications came from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Tomsk, and Kazan.
The 2025 prize fund exceeded 100 million rubles. Each laureate in the main categories received 30 million rubles. Young scientists using artificial intelligence in their research received 5 million rubles in the "AI in Science" category, as well as 1 million rubles for cloud computing for their future work.
"Our scientific award is a way to say thank you to people who have dedicated themselves to science. It's a way to inspire the many young scientists who have embarked on this important path. I know of no more meaningful work than that of a scientist. Science is a very complex endeavor. It requires remarkable talent, but most importantly, perseverance. You have to try 99 times and not give up, so that the hundredth attempt succeeds. Our award is a way to support these people in this hard work and show that we believe in them," emphasized Herman Gref, President and Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank.
For the development of fundamentally new approaches in Earth sciences, including the theory of anion-centered complexes and methods of information-entropy analysis for understanding mineral-forming processes and creating new mineral-like materials, Professor Sergei Krivovichev, Director General of the Federal Research Center Kola Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was recognized as the best in the Physical World category.
These studies address both fundamental questions of mineralogy—such as the relationship between the composition, crystal structure, and properties of minerals—and applied problems related to the creation of new mineral-like materials. The use of information theory has provided new insights into the mechanisms governing the formation and transformation of minerals throughout Earth's history, the diversity of mineral species, and their chemical and structural complexity.
The award was presented to the head of the Kola Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences by the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Valery Falkov.
"First of all, I would like to thank the Sber team and German Oskarovich for such a wonderful gift to Russian scientists. I would also like to thank the members of the scientific award committee for choosing me as this year's laureate in the Physical World category. This underscores the importance of mineralogy and geochemistry for our country," noted Sergey Krivovichev, accepting the award. "The Kola Peninsula is an amazing place, home to numerous rich mineral deposits and a number of outstanding mining companies, with whom we have very strong ties. But I would especially like to single out and thank PhosAgro, our center's main industrial partner, with whom we are implementing a number of very important scientific, industrial, and educational projects."
The creation of a Research Center for the detailed study of the material composition of mineral raw materials and further improvement of the efficiency of apatite-nepheline ore processing at the Kola Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, funded by PhosAgro, significantly expanded research capabilities in the field of technological mineralogy. Opened in the Akademgorodok of the Kola Science Center in March 2024, the company invested over 500 million rubles in its construction and equipment.
The development of the Kola Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which celebrated its 95th anniversary this year, has historically been closely linked to the Apatit Mining and Processing Plant. The company, now part of the PhosAgro Group, traditionally utilizes cutting-edge developments from KSC researchers. For example, in recent years, scientists from the KSC Mining Institute have developed a unique seismicity monitoring and rock burst warning system, the SIGMA GT, for Apatit. They are also working on the design of Apatit's mine workings, optimizing quarry walls, and solving surveying problems related to ensuring the most complete extraction of minerals from the ore body. A significant portion of their work is related to beneficiation—KSC scientists are constantly testing new flotation reagents. Environmental issues are also a significant focus of the joint work between KSC scientists and Apatit specialists.
"On behalf of PhosAgro, I congratulate Sergey Vladimirovich on this well-deserved award. This is a prestigious recognition of the contributions of the team at the Kola Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences to the development of mining, geology, and geochemistry—critical scientific disciplines that underpin the development of the domestic chemical industry. We are proud that our joint projects are a significant part of this extensive and important work, and we are confident that it will continue," noted Alexander Gilgenberg, CEO of PhosAgro.
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