Experts Back Support for Young Scientists, Teachers and Universities of CIS Member Nations

A meeting of the Expert Advisory Board on Science and Education under the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly (IPA CIS) took place at the Tavricheskiy Palace under the leadership of Rector of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vice-President of Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy. The meeting was opened by Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council Dmitriy Kobitskiy.

Delegates noted that across the region there are multiple initiatives aimed at supporting and developing young talent. Experts were presented with detailed information about youth-focused projects, including the cultural-educational forum "Children of Commonwealth", a Humanities and Social Sciences Olympiad for schoolchildren of CIS Member Nations, as well as other annual festivals, contests and competitions.

Representatives of the academic community from Commonwealth countries proposed developing recommendations for establishing a grant-support system for teachers, young scientists and university consortia in CIS Member Nations.

Among other initiatives voiced at the meeting were recommendations on legal regulation of the development and use of artificial-intelligence systems. For accelerated adoption of AI, experts called for state support programmes, a unified regulatory concept grounded in ethics, and simplified access to data. Key prerequisites include a special investment regime, balance between business and society interests, and streamlined administrative procedures for testing and deploying AI technologies.

Academician Andrey Rudskoy stressed that modern digital computers cannot replicate human cognitive functions. «A digital automaton will never become a brain - but it can become a "digital crutch" for the brain, freeing us from routine labour and enabling faster realisation of our intellectual and creative potential. That is why today we expect from lawyers a clear definition of AI - and not only a definition, but also regulation of its application domains and conditions for correct use,» he said.

Council members discussed proposals for inclusion in the draft Long-Term Model Lawmaking Plan for the Commonwealth of Independent States for 2026-2028, as well as reviewed a draft Programme for the Realisation of the Concept of a Unified Educational Space of the Commonwealth for 2027-2035. Experts were also presented with the results of the second international conference "Russian Language as Basis for Integration Dialogue in the CIS Region" and the international scientific-educational congress of CIS Member Nations "Intellectual Code of Commonwealth". Academician Andrey Rudskoy praised the outcomes of the congress-related events and proposed holding them annually - a proposal that the Council members supported unanimously.

Next meeting of the Expert Advisory Board on Science and Education is scheduled for spring 2026.