The UNESCO-Russia Mendeleev International Prize in Fundamental Sciences was established to encourage scientific progress, scientific popularization and international cooperation in the field of basic sciences.
It is awarded annually to two scientists for their discoveries, their remarkable innovations and their active promotion of the basic sciences, which are at the origin, or could be at the origin in the future, of the socio-economic transformation and development of human societies. The prize consists of a monetary reward of US$250,000 for each of the two winners. A gold medal and a diploma are awarded to each of the winners.