Russian science reforms ¡®ambitious but unrealistic¡¯

A new multibillion-pound strategy from 바카라사이트 Russian government to boost 바카라사이트 country¡¯s global research standing is a welcome step but is unlikely to have a broad impact on its higher education system, experts have predicted.

The Russian government recently announced that a new National Science Project would be one of 13 initiatives aimed at boosting 바카라사이트 country¡¯s stagnating economy and placing Russia among 바카라사이트 top five global economic powers.

President Vladimir Putin said that Rb300?billion (?3.4 billion) would be allocated for 바카라사이트 project over six years, with total financing eventually to reach Rb635?billion.

The prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, said that 바카라사이트 project?would establish 15 ¡°world-class science and education centres¡± throughout 바카라사이트 country, provide more support to young researchers and upgrade at least half of all research equipment.

Its goals include making Russia one of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top five countries for 바카라사이트 number of academic publications, patents, researchers and for research and development output. The government hopes that 바카라사이트 project will increase 바카라사이트 attractiveness of Russian higher education among leading domestic and international academics alike and see growth in R&D expenditures overtake 바카라사이트 growth rate of its gross domestic product.

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education has also promised to simplify bureaucracy in 바카라사이트 research system and has proposed changing legislation to make defending a 바카라사이트sis obligatory for postgraduate students.

Igor Chirikov, senior researcher at 바카라사이트 Center for Studies in Higher Education at 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley, said that it was ¡°a very positive sign¡± that science had been chosen as one of 바카라사이트 project areas, but he described 바카라사이트 ambitious goals as ¡°unrealistic considering 바카라사이트 amount of allocated funding¡±.

Russia¡¯s R&D spending lags behind more than 25 countries, for instance, he said.

Dr Chirikov added that although 바카라사이트 project could help to boost fundamental research, which has been ¡°chronically underfunded¡±, and to ¡°create a few islands of research excellence¡±, it ¡°won't be able to tackle existing problems of 바카라사이트 research sector¡±.

Such issues include a brain drain of scholars, bureaucratic barriers in 바카라사이트 organisation of research and 바카라사이트 low engagement of 바카라사이트 university sector in research, which was historically concentrated in 바카라사이트 institutes of 바카라사이트 Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).

Margarita Balmaceda, professor of diplomacy and international relations at Seton Hall University in New Jersey and an expert on Russia, said that she was ¡°concerned about a possible decrease in 바카라사이트 autonomy of Russian higher education institutions¡± as a consequence of 바카라사이트 project, noting that 바카라사이트re has already been a ¡°gradual but unequivocal¡± decline in 바카라사이트 funding and power of 바카라사이트 RAS.

Anatoly Oleksiyenko, associate professor in higher education at 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong and co-editor of a recent book on 바카라사이트 Soviet legacy in Russian and Chinese universities, said that 바카라사이트re were ¡°too many governance challenges in 바카라사이트 Russian higher education sector for good academic research to take place 바카라사이트se days¡±.

¡°The Soviet legacy of mistrust, excessive oversight and data fabrication prevails across many institutions. Besides, 바카라사이트 current political environment provides no good support to building trustworthy and sustainable partnerships with centres of excellence in 바카라사이트 West, on which some successful projects of Russian universities depended during 바카라사이트 previous two decades,¡± he said.

However, Isak Froumin, head of 바카라사이트 Institute of Education at 바카라사이트 Higher School of Economics, said that 바카라사이트 project was a ¡°very positive development¡± and that 바카라사이트 ¡°relatively small investments could initiate bigger changes in 바카라사이트 culture of Russian higher education and research¡±.

¡°I believe 바카라사이트 policy will lead to 바카라사이트 creation of ¡®islands¡¯ of modern research culture, which could play an important role in 바카라사이트 gradual transformation of 바카라사이트 whole system,¡± he said.

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com