Ontologies as a foundation for formalization of scientific information and extraction of new knowledge

“Ark of Knowledge” is a digital project developed by Lomonosov Moscow State University. It provides access to fundamental knowledge in Russian and should play a key role in the preservation and dissemination of Russia’s cultural and scientific heritage. “Ark of Knowledge” is an ontological information system. The article discusses modern ideas about ontology, the stages of creation and ontological features of the Great Russian Encyclopedia and Wikidata, as well as the design of an information system and its use for language models training. The initial working prototype of this information system is briefly described. Work on creating the system is being carried out by researchers and programmers from the Knowledge Engineering Laboratory of the Institute for Mathematical Research of Complex Systems of Lomonosov Moscow State University, as well as researchers from the Faculties of Philology, Mechanics and Mathematics, Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics, and the Branch of Moscow State University in Sevastopol.