• Grant of the RFBR 97-04-49991-a «Modern processes of podzol Al-Fe-humus formation of soil: natural and industrial aspects »

Leader – Professor Nikonov V.V.
The project is aimed at investigation of natural and industrially caused processes in Al-Fe-humus podzols dominating in boreal forests (on the example of soils of Eastern Fennoscandia).

• Grant of the RFBR 00-04-49174 «Spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability of characteristics of soils in boreal forests»

Leader – Professor Nikonov V.V.
The project is aimed at theoretical and experimental grounding of total regularities and modern tendencies in formation of soils in boreal forests taking into account spatial (biogeocoenotic, parcellar and intraparcellar) and temporal (perennial, seasonal, intraseasonal) variability.

• Grants of the RFBR 00-04-55028 «Kola centre of collective use of unique devices and equipment to carry out ecological investigations and 01-04-52019 «Development of maintenance for the Kola centre of collective use of unique devices and equipment to carry out ecological investigations »

Leader – Professor Nikonov V.V.
The project is aimed at development of maintenance for the Kola centre of collective use of unique devices and equipment to carry out ecological investigations.

• Grant of the RFBR 00-04-49073 «Diversity of soils and biodiversity of the Eastern Fennoscandia»

Leader – Morozova R.M. (Forest Research Institute of the Karelian Science Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences).
The project is aimed at investigating the interrelations between biodiversity and diversity of soils in the Eastern Fennoscandia.

Partners: Forest Research Institute of the Karelian Science Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences.

• Grant of the RFBR 02-04-06324 «Expansion and dynamics of north-taiga forests of the latest succession stages on the Kola peninsula»

Leader – post-graduate student Zaitseva I.V.
The project is aimed at studying the distribution and dynamics of north-taiga forests of the latest succession stages within the large massifs of aboriginal forests on the Kola peninsula.

• INTAS project “Polluting metals in Russian terrestrial ecosystems: chemistry, dynamics, and impact on microbial function, diversity and tolerance”

The project is aimed at characterizing the concentrations of heavy metals and forms of their migration in soils and soil waters along the gradients of airborne industrial pollution by emissions from the “Severonickel” and “Pechenganickel” smelters, investigating the features of microorganisms’ metabolism, assessing their structural and functional diversity and biomass, tolerance, studying the interrelations between soil parameters and state of microbial communities using the methods of mathematical modeling.

Partners: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Windermere, Great Britain; Laboratory of Ecotoxicology RIVM, Netherlands; Faculty of Soil Sciences and Physical Faculty of Moscow State University; Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences; Institute for Physical-Chemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Puschino.

• Contract No. C0076 "Integration" - “Assessment of industrial transformation of soils on industrial areas of the Kola North on the basis of complex expeditionary investigations with participation of students and post-graduate students”

Leader – Professor Vladychensky A.S. (Moscow State University)

The project is aimed at investigating the impact of copper-nickel and apatite-nepheline production on characteristics of soils on the Kola peninsula with participation of students and post-graduate students from the Moscow State University and Apatity Branch of Petrozavodsk State University.

Partners: Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University,
Apatity Branch of Petrozavodsk State University

• Contract with the Committee on Natural Resources of the Murmansk region «Rehabilitation of forests on lands damaged by anthropogenic impact from Monchegorsk and Pechenga areas»

Leaders – Professor Nikonov V.V., Doctor of Biological Sciences Lukina N.V.

The project is aimed at developing the scientifically based approaches to rehabilitation of territories damaged by anthropogenic impacts in Monchegorsk and Pechenga areas.

Partners:
Committee on Natural Resources of the Murmansk region,
Institute for Chemistry and Technology of Rare Elements and Mineral Raw Materials, KSC RAS