On 21 January, 2016 Russian president Vladimir Putin has held a meeting of the Presidential Council for Science and Education. The issues of training and implementation of scientific and technological development of the country strategy for a long-term period were discussed.

Vladimir Putin: having own cutting-edge technologies is a key factor of sovereignty and security of the state, competitiveness of domestic companies, an important condition of economy growth and improvement of living standards of our citizens. In connection to that I consider it necessary to look at the strategy of scientific and technological development as one of the determinant documents as well as the National Security Strategy. I would like to ask the Government to make appropriate amendments to the legislation.

Over the past years, there has been laid some groundwork that makes it possible to implement large-scale research projects, the research infrastructure and its staff potential are being strengthened. Thus, a number of young scientists has increased, primarily in organisations involved in applied fundamental research aimed at resolving specific tasks. In certain areas, the amount of specialists under 39 is over 50 percent.

In research sphere our leading higher education institutions such as the Moscow and St Petersburg state universities, federal and national research universities are taking a more active part. The growing capabilities of our higher education are noted by foreign experts as well. Several dozens of Russian higher education institutions have been included in various international ratings. In 2015, three Russian universities were listed in the top 100 in the world in natural sciences. Serious work has been done to create world-class national research centres in nuclear power, aviation and cosmonautics.

The intellectual, human and material resources of our leading academies have been joined. At this basis federal research centres were organized that have been given the necessary authority and are aimed at conducting large-scale interdisciplinary research in genetics, biotechnology and chemistry.

I would like to note that in Russia now there are more than 150 powerful state science institutes, centres and higher education institutions that are making a noticeable contribution to world and national research. They account for a vast majority – about 70 percent of all the patents given in our country and 80 percent of highly cited works. Their developments are used in the real economy and the research results are widely cited abroad, as I have already said.

At the same time, 150 is only 10 percent of all the state education and research organisations. Now the question is: what about the others? How are they doing? How do they work? I would like to stress that the resources given for science purposes should go to strong research teams that are capable of creating breakthrough technology in areas especially important for the nation, and be capable of competing with leading world centres. This is the logic we should follow in prioritising funding for developing the country’s research. I would like the Government to work out efficient mechanisms, including project financing.

The key principle in implementing our research and development strategy is the close interaction between research, education, businesses and the state, their joint responsibility for the practical results. In connection to that I would like to offer setting up special councils in each of the priority areas. They could be strictly departmental, but they should not limit themselves to purely professional research. They need to have, naturally, a wider range of targets and tasks.

They should definitely involve representatives of research organisations and higher education institutions, the Russian Academy of Sciences and companies with public ownership. However, it is of key importance to involve private businesses, and small and medium-sized innovative companies.

I would like to ask the Government together with the Russian Academy of Sciences to create by the end of 2016 such teams and to develop precise and clear mechanisms of their activity that would make it possible to make decisions quickly and achieve the set goals.

There are a few things I would like to highlight. Firstly, we need to identify specific research and education organisations capable of making complex research in each of the priority areas of the strategy, and carefully look at their human resources and infrastructure to see what additional measures need to be taken to reinforce them.

Secondly, we have quite a few examples of successful cooperation between science and business: our scholars create unique technology, while domestic companies on their basis make added-value production in demand not only at national market, but at foreign markets as well. We have to take such cooperation to a higher level, reducing the time between task setting and practical implementation of specific research.

Next, our education organisations should also correspond to our research and development priorities. We need to look beyond one or two decades and analyse which competences would be in demand in 10 and more years and what specialists we need to train today. We should formulate proposals on the basis of this analysis on the modernisation of educational programms at all levels and at improving teacher training.

One more thing. We have good traditions of popularising scientific knowledge, and we need to use this experience.

I would like to call on you and on all Russian scholars, professors and business representatives who have close connections with research, to take a more active part in educational projects on the Internet, on television and in print media, tell about the achievements of our research, hold regular scientific events at different locations designed for people of all ages, targeted at the younger generation.

View the source: Meeting of Council for Science and Education