The Eastern Economic Forum was held on 2-5 September 2015 on the basis of the ultramodern campus of the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) on Russky Island (Vladivostok); the Forum was attended by over 4000 people. Heads of governments of Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Burma, as well as presidents of the largest global technology and mineral mining corporations were among the participants, delegates and guests of the Forum. The Forum was attended by President of the Russian Federation V.V.Putin – he addressed the delegates of the Forum with a keynote speech on prospects of development of the Far Eastern region as one of the largest innovation platforms of the Asia-Pacific region. Prospects for the new Far East, new conditions for investment were presented to guests of the Forum: priority development areas, tools of support of investment projects, the Free Port of Vladivostok. All the governmental structures are open to entrepreneurs, providing tax incentives, removing administrative barriers, providing projects with infrastructure.

Representatives of science and art, including representatives of the major research centers in Russia, China and Japan were also invited to participate in the Forum. JINR was represented by JINR Vice-Director RAS Corresponding Member G.V.Trubnikov. He became Member Speaker of two strategic sessions. One of them was the key session "From the knowledge economy to the knowledge society". It was devoted to discussion of issues of integration of science and education with production and consumption, within the entire context of social life, new tools of cooperation and new approaches to competition in science and education, innovation priorities and technological collaborations, as well as strategic directions and growth points of the innovative economy for the development of competition and co-operation in the Asia-Pacific region and the existing world leaders of the knowledge industry.

Another strategic session (dialogue "in privy"), chaired by Assistant to President A.A.Fursenko was called "Mega Science Projects – regional aspect". Issues of discussion at this session were prospects for the emergence and development of new international Mega Science projects (providing for the creation and operation of large research infrastructure) in the Asia-Pacific Region, taking into account the strategic interests and scientific potential of the region’s countries, as well as possibility of organizing of network format of cooperation among countries of the Asia-Pacific region to use research infrastructure of international level in interests of scientists of countries of the region. The current level of development of science requires a costly, complex research infrastructure. The practice of creating such projects of the Mega Science class is well known and it has equally well established itself as an independent form of international scientific and technological cooperation. Leaders of NRC KI, RFFI, the Federal Agency of Scientific Organizations, RUSNANO, Skolkovo, the Ministry of Education and Science and JINR participated in discussions at these sessions. China, Japan and Korea were represented at the highest level –Deputy Ministers of Science and Technology and Directors of the largest research centers (KEK, J-PARC, RIKEN, IHEP, the Shanghai synchrotron center, ASIPP, and others).

Following the milestones of these sessions, it was proposed to form a Committee on formulation of strategic policy for development of global network research infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as integration of Russian and Asian scientific infrastructure with the European Forum ESFRI. The Committee will include representatives of centers that participated in the Forum and will be tasked to develop the concept of the Road Map, as well as the format of cooperation between our countries in the frames of the network scientific infrastructure.

G.V.Trubnikov presented the scientific program of JINR as an example of an international interdisciplinary center, with a high level of scientific expertise of projects, strategic planning of development of its international scientific program. With great interest the audience heard about the success of education and innovation policy of the Institute; and it was suggested to use this experience in development of the Road Map of the network research infrastructure of centers in Asia and Russia. The Mega Science project NICA, which is being implemented at JINR by efforts of JINR Member States and international partners from Germany, China, South Africa, the US and others, was recognized as a pilot project, which should be included in the Road Map as an example of successful international scientific cooperation of many countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Finally, the main recognition of a successful outcome of the sessions devoted to issues of science and innovation was the fact that the President of the Russian Federation in his keynote speech at the Forum the next day paid attention to the necessity to create a network of research centers and mega-projects (like CERN and ITER in Europe).

Cooperation in the fields of science and education, he said, is becoming crucial. "All this can be a powerful incentive for the technological development of all countries of the Asia-Pacific region", – noted the President. V.V.Putin pointed out that Russia has remarkable fundamental scientific basis in the Far East: "We are ready to put forward a number of initiatives in this direction. For example, we come up with a suggestion to think about joint establishment of large research platforms and systems, the so-called Mega Science projects, which could be the basis for real scientific breakthroughs”. The President declared: "I think it’s time to establish such infrastructure, a network of scientific and educational centers of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Russia invites all interested parties and countries”.

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