В.Путин.Выступление на заседании.09.02.04.Part 1

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Opening Address at the Meeting of the Council on Science and High Technology.Part 1 February 9, 2004 Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow Выступление на заседании Совета по науке и высоким технологиям 9 февраля 2004 года Москва, Институт биоорганической химии VLADIMIR PUTIN: Good afternoon. Our meeting coincides with celebrations of both the Day of Russian Science and the 280th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences. We are gathered in one of the leading research centres in the country the Institute of Bio-organic chemistry. The team at this institute has achieved significant success in an entire range of areas both scientific and commercial. This is in part thanks to the serious approach to providing for scientific personnel. I should say that this problem along with other problems in the development of science is on the agenda for discussion today. I hope for active participation from everyone who has come to this meeting today. People of science have always been treated with particular respect in our country. The prestige and authority of science regardless of political eras for the authorities, for society and for all the citizens of our country, are always undoubted. And Russia itself has been rich in talented people, in truly original thinkers. An example of this is the recent award of the Nobel Prize to leading Russian physicist Vitaly Ginzburg. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him once more on winning this prestigious award. Perhaps it is thanks to the unique scientific personnel potential that we have been able to preserve a great deal even in the most difficult times. At least, our main scientific schools not only endured, but gained additional stimulus in market conditions. It needs to be said quite openly, however, that these years were not without losses for science. Recently, relying on our growing economic capabilities, we have seriously increased state investment in scientific research and staff training. Of course, I understand that everyone gathered here knows what has been lost, and that this is not enough, but I should say that from 2000, federal budget spending on science grew more than 150%. Spending on education increased more than three-fold. I repeat, perhaps in absolute figures this is still not enough, but this is what the state was realistically able to do and did, based on the capabilities of the budget. It remains a fact that from 1990 to 2002, the total number of people involved in scientific research and developments decreased by more than half. And the main personnel collapse took place from 1990 to 1994. Scientific personnel nevertheless proved in demand in the new state system and burgeoning Russian business. However, it was people whose talents were most clearly apparent in science who became politicians, officials and entrepreneurs. People who in other conditions would have continued to work in science. There has been a real danger of losing the succession of generations in science. This is also one of the problems. The number of scientists and specialists of a young, promising age dropped particularly quickly. You know the problem of ageing of science. Presently, the average age of researchers in Russia is 49 years, candidates of science 53, and doctors of science 61 years. At the same time, all sociological surveys show that there is no drop of young peoples interest in science in Russia. There is a growing competition for admittance to institutes, universities and postgraduate studies. It is clear that young people want to become scientists, but often cannot truly realize their dreams. We have addressed this topic many times. We have been able to do certain things. However, the problem of young people in science and staff problems as a whole are so far, unfortunately, decided fragmentarily and unsystematically. Still, scientific personnel are above all people, and as we well understand, everyone knows this and there is nothing new about it, people look for jobs that pay well and promise professional growth. And so the personnel problem cannot be solved separately from problems of Russian science as a whole, despite scientists well-known devotion to their work.