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Participants of the 7th International Conference “Greater Eurasia: national and civilizational aspects of development and cooperation” represent the scientific and educational community, NGOs, and authorities. The conference is organized by the RAS Scientific Council on Integrated Issues of Eurasian Economic Integration, Modernization, Competitiveness and Sustainable Development, Russian National Committee on BRICS Research, University of World Civilizations, Eurasian Information and Analytical Consortium, and other organizations.

On November 27, the strategizing session “On implementation of the BRICS+ Environmental Platform megaproject” was held at the National Committee on BRICS Research. One of the session’s facilitators was Olga Bakhmet, Corresponding Academician, KarRC RAS Director General, member of the Scientific Council of the National Committee on BRICS Research.

In her talk, Olga Bakhmet presented the prospects for regional scientific cooperation within the framework of the BRICS Green Agenda, which targets sustainable development of mankind in all spheres of life. Among other things, it implies the introduction of green technologies into the economic, social and political development of countries.

Since 2022, the Karelian Research Center RAS and the Russian National Committee on BRICS Research have been bound by a cooperation agreement. At the same time, interactions with colleagues from BRICS member countries have been going on for many years. Thus, specialists from the Institute of Applied Mathematical Research KarRC RAS cooperate with organizations in India and China in stochastic modeling, game theory, mathematical optimization, etc. The Institute of Geology develops international relations with India, China and South Africa in the study of geodynamic processes of the early Earth.

On November 25, a KarRC RAS delegation returned from China, where areas for cooperation with the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology and the Institute of Soil Science CAS were discussed. Memorandums of Understanding are going to be signed with the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research and the Tibetan Plateau Research Institute.

– BRICS+ regional science cooperation can promote science diplomacy and strengthen ties between our countries, – noted Olga Bakhmet.

According to her, the most promising options include intensification of cooperation between regional scientific centers from Russia and BRICS+ countries, arranging programs for young scientists, broader involvement of BRICS experts in the discussion of green agenda and sustainable development issues, using joint research to popularize science, and holding seminars to share experience and best practices with researchers from new BRICS+ members.

KarRC RAS is already working on some of these tasks. In 2023 and 2024, the Center hosted international conferences focused on environmental and nature management issues. The resolution of this year's conference proposes to set up a unified center for the development of regional (including network) BRICS+ cooperation and to establish a branch of the National Committee on BRICS Research at KarRC RAS.

Among the promising areas of regional scientific cooperation within the Green Agenda framework, Olga Bakhmet named low-carbon development and circular economy, industrial ecology and mitigation of natural disasters, sound nature management, monitoring of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity conservation, as well as Arctic and Antarctic research. Karelian scientists already have research experience in many of these topics.