Russia’s State Policy on the Development of Science at Universities: Lessons from the 90s

The article discusses the influence of state programs on research development in Russian universities in the first post-Soviet decade. After the USSR collapse the conditions for doing research in Russia worsened significantly due to a sharp reduction in budget funding with unessential other sources of support. Research conducted in higher education institutions was a small fraction of the entire system, and involvement in science was not among the primary activities of universities, except for a small number of leading universities. At the same time, mostly higher education institutions were responsible for training of highly qualified personnel. This discrepancy posed a threat for the science system. At the state level, a number of separate targeted programs was initiated, with an emphasis on fundamental research in universities. The aim of the article is to identify and systematize, in the framework of these state programs, the main factors affected the development of science in higher education institutions. The research methods include literature review, analysis of statistical data, and interpretations of surveys conducted in the 90s. It is shown that the programs’ results were modest and did not change the scale of university science in the country. The hampering factors were associated with regulatory and legal restrictions, sub-optimal choice of areas for support, underfunding and dispersion of financial support, and insufficient consideration of the former research specialization of universities. At the same time, these programs gave impetus to the discussion of the concepts of research universities, which later were implemented

Risks of 5-100 Project: Perceptions of Academic Staff of Different Ages

The implementation of the 5-100 Project in Russian universities, aimed at improving their competitiveness through adaptation to world standards and inclusion in the international educational environment has produced some quantitative and qualitative results. Despite the undoubted achievements of the universities participating in the Project, the mechanisms of its implementation have revealed some problematic areas that in the end can primarily affect the young generations of scholars. Therefore, assessing the perception of the 5-100 Project by scholars of different ages is important. The purpose of this article is to analyze, through the lens of a generational approach, the risks associated with the two aspects of universities’ activities. First, the principles of funding under the 5-100 Project and second, the approaches applied for assessment of academic performance. The analysis is based on the results of semi-structured interviews with scientific and pedagogical staff at five universities that participated in the 5-100 Project (108 respondents). We analyzed the answers of respondents in three age groups: young scientists, middle-aged and older scholars. The study showed that there are areas where representatives of all generations are unanimous and areas where the young academics have perceptions different from other generations. There is unanimity in the attitudes to principles of financing practiced in the universities. The younger generation turned to be the most sensitive to insufficient spending on research equipment. In terms of performance evaluation indicators, the younger generation demonstrated the greatest adaptability to the system of formal quantitative assessment, while noting its dysfunctional effects. They have also revealed that it is easier for them to change jobs than for other generations of scholars

The Supplementary Vocational Education for Advanced Technological Development: the Contribution og Higher Education Instituts

Статья представляет собой исследование сложившегося и перспективного рынка дополнительного профессионального образования в России, в том числе по ключевым направлениям технологического развития и места вузов на этих рынках. Рынок дополнительного профессионального образования (ДПО) является высококонкурентным и постоянно развивается за счет роста числа провайдеров образовательных программ и курсов, а также появления новых образовательных форматов (онлайн-курсов, дистанционного образования). В ближайшем будущем основная конкуренция на рынке внебюджетного дополнительного профессионального образования будет разворачиваться между вузами за средства компаний (организаций), которые повышают квалификацию своих сотрудников в области перспективных технологических направлений. В связи с этим цель написания статьи заключается в оценке масштабов рынка ДПО, в частности, в оценке его финансового выражения, места в нем вузов, а также в определении перспективных направлений и форм развития ДПО. Исследование базируется на данных официальной статистики, мониторингов и результатах выборочных опросов. Ситуация, которая сложилась в сфере ДПО, рассмотрена на макро- и микроуровне. Сначала определены тренды на российском рынке ДПО, включая финансовые параметры, типологию слушателей, сравнительную популярность разных видов ДПО, место вузов как поставщиков ДПО. На микроуровне анализируется масштаб и параметры спроса на рынке ДПО по перспективным технологическим направлениям. Исследование показало, что пока в России предложение со стороны вузов превышает спрос, хотя рынок внебюджетного ДПО достаточно объемный, пятикратно превышающий бюджетное ДПО. Проведенная оценка сегмента рынка, специализирующегося на перспективных цифровых технологиях (включая «сквозные»), показала, что этот рынок достаточно узкий в сравнении с общими объемами внебюджетного ДПО, на нем доминирует ограниченное число вузов, с которыми могут начать конкурировать ведущие компании, развивающие корпоративное ДПО (особенно в области наук о данных). Перспективы развития данного рынка связаны как с появлением новых форм дистанционного образования, так и с различными видами кооперационных и сетевых программ ДПО, разрабатываемых и реализуемых вузами совместно с компаниями. При этом дополнительный стимул развитию ДПО могут дать новые государственные программы и национальные проекты, такие как «Цифровая экономика Российской Федерации», «Новые возможности для каждого», национальный проект «Наука», а также Центры компетенций Национальной технологической инициативы. Ограничения исследования связаны с условностью и допущениями в расчетах ввиду отсутствия детальной информации о финансовых аспектах внебюджетного ДПО. Результаты исследования могут представлять интерес для специалистов, занимающихся проблемами образования, для высших учебных заведений, развивающих программы ДПО, а также компаний, заинтересованных в развитии собственной системы дополнительного образования, включая их кооперациию с вузами.The article is a study of the current and prospective markets for supplementary vocational education in Russia, including the key areas of technological development and the place of universities at these markets. The market of supplementary vocational education is highly competitive, gradually developing thanks to the growth in the number of providers of educational programmes and courses, as well as due to the emergence of new educational formats (online courses, distance education). In the nearest future, the main competition at the market of extra-budgetary supplementary vocational education will be among the universities for the funds of companies (organizations) that improve the skills of their employees in the field of promising technological areas. The article in this regard aims at assessing the scale of the supplementary vocational education market, in particular its financial aspect, the place of universities in it, as well as the identification of promising directions and forms of the supplementary vocational education development. The study is based on official statistics, monitoring, and sample surveys. The situation that has developed in the sphere of supplementary vocational education is considered at the macro- and micro-levels. First, there have been identified trends at the Russian supplementary vocational education market, including financial parameters, the typology of students, the relative popularity of various types of supplementary vocational education, and the place of universities as supplementary vocational education providers. At the micro-level, the scale and parameters of demand at the supplementary vocational education market for promising technological areas are analyzed. The study showed that nowadays the supply from Russia universities exceeds the demand, although the market for extra-budgetary supplementary vocational education is quite large, five times larger than the budgetary supplementary vocational education. An assessment of the market segment specializing in promising, including cross-cutting digital technologies, showed that this market is quite narrow compared to the total extra-budgetary supplementary vocational education, and there dominate a limited number of universities to be competed with by leading companies developing corporate supplementary vocational education (especially in data science). Prospects for the development of this market are associated not only with new appearing forms of distance education, but also with various types of cooperative and network supplementary vocational education programmes of cooperative university-and-company development and implementation. At the same time, new state programmes and national projects (such as «The Digital Economy of the Russian Federation», «New Opportunities for Everyone», the national project «Science», and Competence Centres of the National Technology Initiative) can provide an additional impetus to the development of supplementary vocational education. The limitations of the study are related to the conventions and assumptions in the calculations connected with lacking detailed information on the financial aspects of the extra-budgetary supplementary vocational education. The results of the study may be of interest for specialists dealing with educational problems, for higher educational institutions developing supplementary vocational education programmes, as well as for companies interested in developing their own system of supplementary education and in cooperation with universities

Partnering Universities and Companies in Russia: Effects of New Government Initiative

The paper presents the results of 2-year survey conducted in 2011-2012 among Russian universities and companies who jointly implement R&D projects aimed at development of high-tech manufacturing. The joint projects represent a new government instrument to stimulate the development of linkages between universities and companies by giving matching grants for R&D to companies with obligation to order R&D to a university-partner. The objectives of the survey included analysis of motivation for cooperation both from side of universities and companies; primary effects and side-effects of such initiative; changes that may be introduced to the government regulations concerning matching grants. Total 38 teams were surveyed. Our findings show that major motivations from side of universities were access to new practical research tasks from companies, selection of most competitive teams of researchers capable to work with companies, and strengthening reputation in business environment. Companies were interested in getting government funding in order to solve their technological problems; to strengthen, due cooperation with universities, their research capacity, and to use modern research infrastructure located at universities. The analysis allowed identification of the major effects of the matching grants mechanism. They included: strengthening of university orientation towards solving practical tasks which are of interest to business; institutionalization of relations between universities and business in the sphere of innovation activity; broadening of research cooperation and the formation of research consortiums; harmonization of research and educational tasks in universities, and orientation of the parties towards continuing cooperation in the innovation sphere

Cooperation between Russian research organizations and industrial companies: factors and problems

The study is focused on the cooperation of Russian companies with research organizations in implementing R&D projects during technological innovation. Taking into account behavioral changes, authors carry out a micro-level analysis based on empirical data of executive survey of over 600 Russian industrial firms (2011—2012) and about 350 research organizations and universities (2012). The authors emphasize the key factors of firms’ demand for outsourcing R&D reveal the main barriers to the development of university-industry cooperation and their particularities for different cooperation actors. The analysis shows that there is a positive relation between the size of a company and R&D outsourcing. As for the factor of age, the highest cooperation activity of Russian firms is observed among enterprises founded over 20 years ago. As far as concernes cooperation activity of research organizations, large ones are significantly more likely to cooperate with business. A common prerequisite for research organizations' R&D cooperation with business is sufficient academic ranking. Business and science evaluate differently various obstacles to effective cooperation. For firms, the main problems are the inflated costs of national R&Ds, insufficient research organizations’ orientation at company needs, and low quality of developments. As for representatives of research organizations, they mention as barriers primarily the lack of companies' receptivity to innovation and inadequate information about promising developments. Businesses are more optimistic about cooperation with science if they already have a relevant experience of interaction. In the case of research organizations we observe a different pattern: most problems seem more significant to organizations conducting R&D in business interests

International scientific migrations today : new perspectives

La science russe est en crise à l'heure actuelle. Le processus de "fuite des cerveaux", au niveau interne et externe, en est une illustration. Evaluer l'état réel de la science en Russie signifie observer l'évolution du financement de la Recherche et du Développement (R & D). Le financement fédéral est la principale source de soutien national. Au cours des deux dernières années, de nouvelles formes d'aide fédérale ont fait leur apprition et se développent rapidement, comme les Centres de recherche fédéraux (CRF) et les Programmes fédéraux pour la Science et la Technologie (PFST). Ces institutions ont été présentées par le gouvernement russe comme principales priorités. En tant qu'instruments de la politique scientifique, les PFST jouent un rôle important dans la réalisation des objectifs nationaux. Leurs coûts sont élevés et leurs besoins en financement augmentent plus rapidement que les dépenses totales en R & D. Les institutions et groupes de recherche qui participent à la mise en place de ces programmes jouissent de meilleures conditions financières. Cela influence les conditions sociales et économiques du travail de recherche et, en conséquence, la mobilité du personnel de recherche. De ce point de vue, il y a beaucoup de ressemblances entre les PFST et les CRF. Les Centres fédéraux de recherche font partie des nouvelles institutions les plus intéressantes, car elles apparaissent comme une réaction à l'environnement de transition qui caractérise la société russe. L'idée de base était de préserver les groupes de recherche les plus performants et maintenir les tendances dans la recherche au travers d'un soutien financier additionnel au budget fédéral. Parallèlement, tous les CRF sont profondément impliqués dans la mise en place des Programmes fédéraux pour la Science et la Technologie... (D'après résumé d'auteur