Irina Tolmacheva, Head of the Legal Department at the Gaidar Institute, Deputy Director of the Endowment Fund for the Development of Social and Economic Sciences and Education (FoRSENO), took part in the «Congress of Young Scientists», which was held at the Sirius University of Science and Technology on November 26–28, 2025
The event brought together more than 8,000 people from 89 regions of Russia and 100 foreign countries, including representatives of 480 Russian and 44 foreign universities. The record-breaking international participation demonstrated the global community's enormous interest in the discoveries and developments of Russian scientists.
The event raised a topical issue for the first time: “Investing in talent: the role of endowment funds and patronage in supporting young researchers.”
Irina Tolmacheva took an active part in the discussion. Speaking at the session, she shared the specifics of endowment development and emphasized that endowments are a fundamentally different, more balanced approach. “This is not just a donation, but a long-term financial instrument of a strategic nature,” she noted.
In her presentation, Irina Tolmacheva explained in detail how an endowment fund works: "Donors transfer funds to endowment capital, forming, in simple terms, a special fund. This money is not spent on current needs; it works as capital: it is professionally invested in various instruments, such as stocks, bonds, other assets, and real estate. The profits from these investments are allocated annually to the beneficiary organization, which, in turn, allocates them to scholarships for talented students, grants for young scientists, the purchase of equipment, and much more. The initial capital itself remains untouched and continues to work. This is the main principle that ensures its “eternity.”
Responding to a question about how the FoRSENO endowment fund contributes to the development of science, Irina Tolmacheva explained that the Gaidar Institute uses income from the endowment capital to award grants to young scientists and talented university graduates. These grants allow recipients to study at the Institute's graduate school in the field of economics, ensuring continuity and support for a new generation of researchers.