OREANDA-NEWS. Russia has submitted an application to UNESCO for the establishment of the Dmitry Mendeleev Prize for young scientists. This was announced at a meeting in the framework of the opening of the Mendeleev Congress in St. Petersburg by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, reports the Russian media.

As the prime minister explained, Russia put forward this initiative in the framework of events dedicated to the celebration of the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements, opened by the great Russian scientist. It's expected that the prize will be awarded for outstanding achievements in the fields of chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology.

Medvedev said that Russia is submitting a similar application to UNESCO for the first time. In his opinion, the prize will be of great importance for young scientists and can be a good incentive for new scientific achievements. “Each of the two laureates should receive $ 250 thousand at our suggestion, so this is a very significant prize”, the head of government added. - But it's not that. Nevertheless, recognition of merit at the highest international level, belonging to the world scientific elite is a value of a special order”.

He expressed the hope that the UNESCO secretariat will support the Russian initiative. Now, young scientists are awarded the Michel Batiss Prizes under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program. The award was established in 1989. Every year, ten young researchers become winners of up to $ 5,000 in prize money to fund their research on ecosystems, natural resources, and biological diversity.

Earlier it was reported that the 16-year-old girl from Sweden became the nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. This is reported by the publication "Aftonbladet". Greta Thunberg in September 2018 proclaimed herself the leader of the global movement "school strike for climate". With this slogan, the girl held actions not only in her native Sweden, but also abroad.