Suchergebnisse

Purpose
During the past decade, Russian federal authorities have tried to build an effective national innovation system, strongly emphasizing a well-functioning science sector. The purpose of this paper is to look at future developments of Russian science from the perspective of recent policies and their perceptions by Russian scientists. Special emphasis is placed on the so-called "efficient contracts" policy for researchers which should make the remuneration system of public R&D organisations more competitive.


Design/methodology/approach
The paper examines the results of an extensive survey of almost 1,500 Russian scientists and managers at universities and public research organisations conducted by the authors in 2013 and recent statistical data and policy documents.


Findings
The paper concludes that some of the ambitious science and technology goals set by the government will be hard to achieve in the next decade. The scientific landscape is likely to experience certain structural changes but will probably face many of the existing problems. Improvements in overall R&D performance will largely depend on how well the "efficient contracts" policy is implemented.


Originality/value
The future development of Russian science is discussed based on major recent policy documents and the opinions of Russian scientists. The findings might be important for policy makers not only in Russia but other countries as well.

Strengthening the motivation, quality and efficiency of researchers' work is a pressing issue in all countries pursuing active science, technology and innovation policies. One way to address this challenge is by introducing f lexible remuneration mechanisms which are countryspecific yet still share certain basic principles such as a relationship between compensation and research productivity. Improving R&D workers' remuneration is particularly urgent now in Russia given researchers' low salaries in many areas of science (particularly considering the complexity of their work). To address the problem of compensation for researchers, new policy measures have been adopted since 2012. This paper presents new evidence from Russia's scientific community — researchers, managers of R&D organisations, and government representatives — collected via a survey and focus group discussions on the desirability and efficiency of the current remuneration policy. Although most members of Russia's scientific community do not question the necessity and relevance of the government's 'efficient contract' initiative in the R&D sector, its implementation has had a more mixed response. The authors analyse the reasons and effects of this controversy.