The Russian Science Foundation has announced the results of the regional competition “Conducting Fundamental and Exploratory Research by Small Individual Research Groups.” Of the eight projects submitted from Altai Krai, seven received support — all proposed by researchers from Altai State University.

“Based on the competition results, Altai State University became the absolute leader in Altai Krai in terms of RSF grant awards. The project topics are diverse and reflect current scientific trends. In the field of digital technologies, a project on voice biometric authentication was supported, while in geographic information system development, a project examining the spatial development of the Barnaul agglomeration received funding. Another project focuses on the study of nature conservation and tourism areas, using the transboundary Altai region as a case study. A significant number of projects in history and archaeology were also supported. We express our gratitude to the research teams for their efforts in preparing and submitting applications to the Foundation, and we wish them success in implementing their projects,” noted Alexey Vaganov, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Innovative Development at Altai State University.

Each project received a grant of 3 million rubles for a two-year period. The funded projects include:

“Improving the Quality of Speech Signals for Modern Voice Biometric Authentication Systems” — Andrey Lependin, Associate Professor, Department of Information Security, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences;

“Formation of Nature Protection and Tourism Areas within International Cross-Border Regions: The Case of Altai” — Elena Selezneva, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Geography and Geographic Information Systems;

“Spatial Development of the Barnaul Agglomeration in the Context of Economic Intensification Using Geoinformation and Geocognitive Approaches” — Evgeny Krupochkin, Head of the Department of Economic Geography and Cartography, Candidate of Geographical Sciences;

“The Image of Rural Areas in Altai Krai: The Potential of Historical and Cultural Heritage in the Policy of Sustainable Development of the Region” — Anna Derendyaeva, Associate Professor, Department of General History and International Relations, Candidate of Historical Sciences;

“Charitable Organizations of the Altai Okrug (1896–1917): Pre-Revolutionary Experience of Public Initiatives of Siberians” — Ksenia Tishkina, Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology, Ethnography, and Museology, Candidate of Historical Sciences;

“Absolute Chronology and Dynamics of Cultural and Historical Processes in the Stone Age of the Barnaul-Biysk Ob Region” — Kirill Kiryushin, Associate Professor, Department of Recreational Geography, Service, Tourism, and Hospitality, Candidate of Historical Sciences;

“Social Infrastructure of the Altai (Mountain) Okrug in the Second Half of the 19th – Early 20th Centuries: Analysis of Sources and Creation of a Digital Repository” — Natalia Nezhentseva, Associate Professor, Department of Russian History, Candidate of Historical Sciences.