MOSCOW, July 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed on Thursday a government order on Russia's participation in an ambitious laser research project to be based in Germany.

Russia will provide 250 million euros (about $350 million) for the construction of an ambitious research facility in Hamburg, which will enable scientists to obtain valuable insights into molecules and nano materials down to the atomic level.

"I signed a directive on joint work with Germany on the construction and operation of an advanced X-ray laser, with allocation of necessary funds," Putin said at a government meeting.

The European XFEL X-ray laser will generate high-energy short-wave X-rays to take snapshots of chemical processes at molecular level, enabling scientists to record and analyze chemical reactions, and conduct holographic experiments at the atomic level.

"The facility in Germany will not only carry out fundamental research, but also conduct applied technology experiments," said Sergei Ivanov, a Russian deputy prime minister.

So far, 12 European countries (France, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia and the U.K.), as well as China, have agreed to participate in the project, which has an estimated cost of over 1 billion euro ($1.42 billion).