The Members of Ivan Franko Fund convinced that the Рrize in his name will be popular in the world
Ivan Franko International Prize will soon gain a high status and will have a financial component being not less substantial allowing it to range on a par with the Nobel Prize.
Ihor Kurus, the Director of Ivan Franko International Fund, expressed such an opinion during the press conference at Ukrinform on Friday.
“The Nobel Prize has not become so popular and desirable at once as it is nowadays. Though, it is clear that it has had a financial basis for building the monetary fund. Franko Prize has also some certain basis though not as great as the Nobel’s one. It may be explained by the fact that there are no nuclear weapon designers and famous chemists among our founders but only humanity scientists. However, in some time, approximately in 5 years, in 10 years we will raise our monetary fund and it will become much bigger. We pursue the prize bund be not less than the Nobel’s one. If we achieve this in 50 years, but not in 100 it also will be a success”, replied Kurus to the questions of the agency correspondent.
At the same time he emphasised that during the first year of the prize existence they managed to break the wall of disbelief among the Western scientists and the process moved off – more and more people are talking about it every year and it will become more prestigious and consequently the prize fund will be raised.
“It is important for us that a wider range of scientists being the opinion shapers in their countries become supporters of the Prize. They will go to their universities and tell their colleagues about our discussions. Thus, the information about Ukraine will spark the interest of more people and tomorrow they will set sights on the events in Ukraine – not through the prism of the Maidans, the Chornobyl tragedy or a football player Shevchenko, but through the prism of Franko and science of Ukraine,” noted Kurus.
He also added that Franko Fund is spreading the information on the Prize what made it possible to build cooperation with several influential universities from Canada. The Fund also has got the support of the World Congress of Ukrainians being a promoter of the Ukrainian Studies in the world.
“Now it is a time when we are going to send the letters to all the universities in the world, as in the previous year. The previous year we managed to involve the Members from Japan up to Canada to the Nominee Committee. The Committee Members and experts of the International Board will also popularize the Prize and we will get works from these countries, as well. We, as the scientists, will manage to break ice of lie on Ukraine being spread by Russia today,” emphasises the Director of the Fund.
Volodymyr Buhrov, the Member of the Board of the Fund, the Vice-Rector of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, added: “Trust is very important in any case associated with the science. It is based on following some procedures. We have a sort of a sifter in the Prize allowing the most dignified people to reach the capstone – as in the example of the Nobel Committee. Obviously, it is a time consuming process but the highest criteria shall be established at the very beginning”.
