Two KFU academics were commended for their contribution to international cooperation.

The Order, established in 1808 by Napoleon Bonaparte, is targeted specifically at educators, researchers, and individuals who have significantly contributed to popular enlightenment and the popularization of French culture. Foreign nationals and French nationals residing abroad are eligible.

Chair of the Department of Human and Animal Physiology Guzel Sitdikova operates the Neurobiology for Brain Development Research Lab together with Rustem Khazipov (Mediterranean Institute of Neurobiology). Chair of the Department of Organic Chemistry Igor Antipin was also honored for his work with French colleagues.

In 2017, the same award was handed over to astronomer Alexei Starobinsky.