The first meeting of the moderators of the "Inventing the Future" Symposium took place at the National Centre RUSSIA

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The first meeting of the moderators of the II International Symposium "Inventing the Future," which will be held in October 2025, took place at the National Centre RUSSIA. The event was a continuation of the large-scale work of the National Centre RUSSIA on designing the future and promoting the genre of science fiction.

"The ' Inventing the Future' Symposium is very beneficial for any science fiction writer, as it provides an opportunity to meet with colleagues, share plans, and imagine how we see the future, how the world is changing, and in which direction we are moving. New and interesting plots are born from these meetings and reflections," emphasized science fiction writer Sergei Lukyanenko.

The meeting was attended by representatives of state partner organizations of the National Centre RUSSIA, science fiction writers, and literary critics. The experts discussed key measures to support the science fiction genre and topics for discussion at the upcoming symposium.

"We often close ourselves off in our everyday lives, focus on the present, think about how to live through today and tomorrow, but a person needs scale, a planning horizon, and an idea of what will happen in 5, 10, or 20 years. That’s why the Symposium is so important not only for science fiction writers or futurists, who attend this event to try to understand how other people envision the future, but also for ordinary people. Perhaps they will find new paths for their development and life. Perhaps they will be able to make their own contribution. The National Centre RUSSIA is being established as the most significant platform for promoting science fiction," said Sergei Lukyanenko.

During the first meeting, the moderators of the II International Symposium "Inventing the Future" discussed promising directions for the popularization of science fiction among youth, the importance of dialogue between science fiction writers and the scientific community, as well as many other topics.

According to science fiction writer Sergei Volkov, the International Symposium "Inventing the Future" not only contributes to the popularization of science fiction but also provides an opportunity to gain quality knowledge about the genre as a whole.

"The 'Inventing the Future' Symposium and the National Centre RUSSIA serve as significant platforms for acquiring fundamental knowledge about science fiction, which is the foundation for the development and popularization of the genre," noted Sergei Volkov.

The following individuals also participated in the first meeting of the moderators of the Symposium:

Ali Asadov, Deputy Director of the Department of State Youth Policy and Educational Activities of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation;

Dmitry Baikalov, science fiction writer, member of the Union of Writers of Russia;

Vyacheslav Bakulin, Head of the Science Fiction Department at the "Eksmo" publishing house;

Oleg Divov, science fiction writer;

Boris Dolingo, writer, member of the Union of Writers of Russia, member of the Union of Journalists of Russia, chairman of the organizing committee and chief organizer of the "Aelita" science fiction festival;

Alexander Markov, TV host, TV reporter, science fiction writer;

Ivan Naumov, science fiction writer, screenwriter, poet;

Vadim Panov, science fiction writer;

Anton Pervushin, science fiction writer, journalist, historian of cosmonautics;

Vyacheslav Rybakov, science fiction writer, Doctor of Historical Sciences;

Eldar Safin, science fiction writer, IT specialist;

Pavel Sirotov, Head of the Science and Technology Popularization Department at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation;

Alexei Tikhonov, poet, musician, mentor of the "Literary Marathon" project of the All-Russian public and state youth movement "Movement of the First";

Yevgeny Kharitonov, Head of the Literary Projects Department at the Russian State Library for Youth, Chairman of the Council for Science Fiction and Adventure Literature;

Sergei Shikarev, science fiction writer, literary critic.

As previously reported, the National Centre RUSSIA has launched the All-Russianvideo essay competition "Dreams of the Future." It will help the younger generation not only look beyond the horizon but also reflect on tomorrow through the lens of science fiction. The competition continues the National Centre's large-scale work on designing the future and popularizing the science fiction genre among youth, which began as part of the International Symposium "Inventing the Future." For more details, visit dream.russia.ru.