On November 1-2, the first International Science and Tourism Forum was held in the Russian capital, which was attended by delegations from nine #BRICS countries.
The event attracted a record number of participants, with 1,547 registered on the official website. More than 300 of these were representatives of the museum community, relevant government departments, and industry experts from various countries of the BRICS group.
According to the organizers, this event at the ATOM Museum will serve as a business platform to establish mutually beneficial ties between representatives from the science and tourism industries of the BRICS countries.
The main highlight of the forum was the signing of a Memorandum to establish the Alliance of BRICS Science and Technology Museums, which includes museums of future, such as those in the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, South Africa, India, and Russia.
The newly formed association has brought together representatives of the Institute of Management and Development of Museums in Brazil (IDG), the Museum of Tomorrow (Rio de Janeiro), the Catavento Interactive Science Museum (Sao Paulo), Science Cities of India, the Iziko Museums in South Africa, the Arte Museum (Dubai) and the innovative Russian hi-tech Museum ATOM, which was established not so long ago but has already garnered recognition and love of science fans.
Other organizations from China, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are also considering becoming members of the proposed Alliance of BRICS Science and Technology Museums.
Nurlan Yermekbayev, Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (#SCO):
“We consider the idea of establishing an Association of Science and Technology Museums to be highly relevant and promising, as it would unite the efforts of our countries to promote scientific and cultural heritage. <…> We believe that developing a shared scientific environment would contribute to greater trust between SCO countries and enhance their competitiveness on the global stage.”
🎙 Seven thematic sessions gathered top speakers at the ATOM Museum, including Maria Zakharova, Russian MFA Spokeswoman; Olga Petrova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation; and Alexey Semikhatov, Chief Researcher at the Department of Theoretical Physics of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The event was broadcast in 56 countries worldwide.
The audience enjoyed the new educational format of science stand-ups so much that the rectors of leading universities in the country decided to make it a permanent event. Next year, battles between rectors will take place at venues from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, with the final scheduled for the Discover ATOM 2026 Forum.
Maria Zakharova, official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and speaker at the Discover ATOM Forum:
“Our country has a lot to offer: scientific achievements, scientific developments, combined with a fantastic resource base. Russia is unique in this regard and is ready to cooperate with the world on a mutually beneficial legal basis. The BRICS is an association of countries that share similar views on science, technology, culture, and resources. As for the BRICS, this is an association of like-minded countries that share similar views on science, technology, culture, and resources.”
With the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (https://t.me/MFARussia) and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation (https://t.me/mincultrussia), as well as state and public institutions in the BRICS countries, the association aims to establish and strengthen cultural, educational, scientific, and technological ties between member states of the BRICS in order to lay the groundwork for future cooperation.
The aim is to build friendly relations based on universal human values, develop interest in national cultures and sciences, and attract people from different countries to learn about innovations while maintaining their cultural identities.