The federal targeted programme Scientific and Scientific-Pedagogical Human Resources of Innovation-Driven Russia for 2014-2020 has been prepared by the Ministry of Economic Development pursuant to Russian Government instruction No. DM-P8-4206 of July 23, 2012.
The concept of the programme for 2014-2020 was approved by Government Resolution No. 760-r of May 8, 2013. The programme for 2014-2020 is part of the state programme Science and Technology Development and is aimed at solving the tasks set by the Strategy of Innovation-Driven Development of the Russian Federation until 2020 for the development of the human potential in the field of science, education, technology and innovation and the formation of a balanced and steadily growing research and development sector.
A number of measures aimed at developing scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel and targeted support for certain groups of scientists, scientific collectives, young scientists and students are currently being implemented at the federal and regional levels. The existing mechanisms of the development of the human resource potential in science and education need to be complemented with new mechanisms to support the effective replacement of scientific and educational personnel.
The next stage in forming the complex of measures to develop scientific and educational personnel is the programme for 2014-2020, which is aimed at strengthening state support for the most successful research teams by increasing financing and extending the duration of research projects.
The programme for 2014-2020 continues the current federal targeted programme Scientific and Scientific-Pedagogical Personnel in Innovation-Driven Russia for 2009-2013.
Thanks to the projects carried out during the four years of the implementation of the programme for 2009-2013, about 17,000 graduates, postgraduate students, scientists working for a doctorate and young researchers have been retained in the field of science.
In 2009-2012 the scientific personnel involved in implementing the 2009-2013 programme published about 66,300 articles, and applied for or received 1,100 patents.
The programme for 2014-2020 introduces some novel features compared with the programme for 2009-2013.
The 2014-2020 programme focuses on increasing the results of scientific activities, transitioning to working with the most successful research collectives through targeted financing and expanding the opportunities for young scientists through budget financing.
A distinctive feature of the 2014-2020 programme is the use of various instruments to implement projects, including the signing of state contracts and agreements on grants in the shape of subsidies for legal entities to finance research projects.
The main goal of the 2014-2020 programme is to develop a system of effective replacement of highly professional research and educational personnel and making them more competitive on the global level.
- These are the targets of the 2014-2020 programme: to develop mechanisms for increasing the numbers and improving the quality of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel;
- to improve the efficiency of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel, develop mechanisms to encourage their scientific and innovative activities;
- to increase the mobility of scientific and educational personnel inside Russia and internationally;
- to develop a network of national research universities.
The programme for 2014-2020 will be implemented in two stages: stage I in 2014-2017 and stage II in 2018-2020. The 2014-2020 programme is financed to the tune of 201.02 billion roubles, of which 153.48 billion roubles will be federal budget money and 47.54 billion roubles (in prices for corresponding years) will come from extra-budgetary sources.
The State Contractor-Coordinator of the 2014-2020 programme is the Ministry of Education and Science.
The key indicators and targets of the 2014-2020 programme are:
- the average age of research personnel involved in the 2014-2020 programme is to be 43 (versus 49 in 2012);
- the proportion of research personnel aged under 39 among participants in the 2014-2020 programme will be 35% (versus 32.8% in 2012);
- the proportion of leading scientific personnel (Candidates and Doctors of Sciences) of the total number of research personnel involved in the 2014-2020 programme aged under 39 (inclusive) will be 17-17.5% (versus 14.1% in 2012);
- an increase by13,000 people (compared to 2012) in the number of undergraduates, postgraduate students, researchers working for a doctorate and young researchers in organisations taking part in the 2014-2020 programme who have chosen careers in the field of science, education and technology (enrolled in postgraduate courses or hired by higher professional education institutions, research organisations, and enterprises in priority sectors of Russian industry) (on an accrual basis);
- the number of undergraduates, postgraduate students, candidates for doctorates and young researchers who took part in subject-specific Olympiads, contests of research papers and other events conducted in the field of science and technology as part of the 2014-2020 programme (on an accrual basis) is to be 60,000.
The Resolution also introduces amendments to the programme for 2009-2013 prompted by the need to complete three construction projects covering a total floor area of 137,000 square meters.
The project, construction on which began under the current federal targeted programme, includes:
- the hall of residence of the Directorate of the inter-university campus in St Petersburg;
- the Vuzovsky complex of halls of residence at the Siberian Federal University;
- the hall of residence of the Perm National Research Polytechnic University.
The amendments adjust the capacity and deadlines for the launching of the above facilities and harmonise the amount of financing out of the federal budget with the parametres of the federal targeted investment pogramme in 2012.
Under the document the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Finance are responsible for developing the draft federal budget for the corresponding year and the planning period, including the programme for 2014-2020 approved under this resolution in the list of federal targeted programmes to be financed out of the federal budget.
The implementation of the programme for 2014-2020 will improve the effectiveness of scientific research, form a stable and balanced system for the replacement of competitive research and educational personnel and ensure the introduction of an effective contract system.
The draft resolution was debated and approved at a Government meeting on May 16, 2013. After the debate, the meeting instructed the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education and Science to allocate the resources necessary for the implementation of the said programme in drafting the federal budget for 2014 and the planning period of 2015 and 2016.