(Updated: 26 April 2023)
The LMS deplores the invasion of Ukraine by Russian government forces. Since our initial statement in March 2022, the Society has been working on several areas of work to respond to the devastating developments.
Support for Mathematicians
To support members of the mathematical community who are seeking refuge in the United Kingdom as a result of the invasion, the Society has developed two grant schemes that are co-ordinated with the Isaac Newton Institute’s (INI’s) substantial solidarity programme. Research-active mathematicians at all career stages, including students working towards a doctoral degree, can apply for these grants. For mathematicians who are fleeing their countries and who have been accepted onto the solidarity programme, the Society is offering:
- ‘Welcome Grants’ to give them some immediate financial support while they are travelling to the UK and/or incurring costs in the first month following their arrival. Applications for up to £3000 will be considered though it is expected that an individual grant is likely to be in the region of £1000.
- ‘Supplementary Grants’, to provide further financial support in addition to the funding provided by the INI (or others) for those in greater need. The value can vary from a few hundred pounds (for furniture or a computer, for example) to a regular supplement to other monthly income, for the applicant and/or any dependants.
Applications can be made for these grants by following the process set out on the INI website here. The Society is pleased to report that, as of April 2023, a total of 22 Welcome grants and 17 Supplementary grants have been awarded. A further 5 applicants have withdrawn due to finding employment elsewhere and 4 are waiting for their visas. Participants on the Solidarity programme are given free membership of the Society.
In addition to this, the Society will ensure that, in promoting and advertising its existing relevant grant schemes, it makes clear that these are available to mathematicians who have recently reached the UK after fleeing their home country.
Publications
The Society has been guided by the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The Society’s policy is that content published in the Society’s journals and books will continue to be selected based on merit alone and irrespective of nationality, geographic location, ethnicity, political beliefs, race, or religion of the authors. Publication of individual authors’ work by the London Mathematical Society does not constitute endorsement of the policies or actions of any government or other agencies.
The Society, together with IOP Publishing, have, following suspension in July 2022, now formally terminated our agreement to publish the three Russian translation journals, Sbornik: Mathematics, Izvestiya: Mathematics and Russian Mathematical Surveys. These were previously operated in partnership with the Russian Academy of Sciences. We deeply regret that this partnership with fellow mathematicians, that has existed for over 60 years, has ended abruptly in such circumstances.
Communications
The Society wishes to continue to understand the views of its members and the wider mathematical sciences community on such an important topic. The Society will continue to:
- Update the Society’s membership, the UK mathematical community and the global mathematical community about the actions that the Society is taking and the reason for these actions.
- Coordinate and share good practice with other learned societies and mathematical institutes in the UK and globally.
If you have ideas, suggestions or comments, please do email the Society at membership@lms.ac.uk.