Dubna, April 19, 2008

Dear Dmitry Anatolyevich!

Dear participants of the State Council meeting!

The central element of the innovative economical development is the national innovative system which provides the necessary terms and conditions for new technologies' development, their fast implementation and mass production of new and competitive on a global level goods and services.

Owing to the latest efforts we managed to achieve the results on almost all general directions of forming the national innovative system. As for creating a competitive research and development sector in particular, we can point out the development of vocational training in the framework of "Education" national project, which includes the support of innovative universities, technical schools and colleges, the development of new standards and target programs plus level education. The scientific sector modernization has been carried out, new law on science and code of the Russian State Academy Of Sciences were adopted, and the fundamental research program for 5 years was approved.

As for the infrastructure - with different forms of state participation there were established 62 centers of collective use, more than 120 innovative and technological centers and parks and 86 centers of technologies transfer. The efficient mechanisms of innovations support were the special economic zones, various development institutions, including "Russian Venture Company" and state corporations, e.g. SC "Rosnanotech".

To set state reference points in the innovative field a series of key innovative projects is realized. These projects are efficient on the level of economics and of national safety in general. They are aimed at strengthening the competitive positions of domestic commodity producers and at polishing the mechanisms of private and state partnership. Within FTP "Research and development in 2007-2012" there are approximately 20 billion rubles provided for these purposes (off-budget financing is 60%, annual gain is 5 rubles for each ruble invested).

Thus we can state that in spite of the lesser experience (as compared to the leading industrial countries) to manage innovative activity there is an operating national innovative system in Russia. The commercialization of scientific and technical results is taking place and the production growth of new high technologies is provided.

At the same time the scale of this activity is not sufficient for us. The general limit of growth is the lack of complex approach to the innovative sector development. Within this approach any economical decisions would be regarded from the position of stimulating the innovative development. Only in this case we can truly proceed from expenses management to results management and provide the innovations with adequate role in the national economic development.

The Ministry of education and science of Russia has a number of suggestions covering the essence of the question.

First of all, it is necessary to overcome the existing negative trend within which the growth of budget provision of scientific researches does not lead to the growth of its financial resources in general and replaces the private sector money. Today business neither has no intention nor is not ready to take an active part in formulating tasks and orders. The largest deficiency of applications within FTP "Research and development in 2007-2012" can be found in the directions of "business community work", which are provided by financing in 15 billion rubles from the federal budget but demand an adequate co-financing and sharing the technological risks with the business.

Then, the obvious obstacles for rapid innovative development are, on the one hand, the insufficient competitiveness of the Russian research and development sector, and, on the other hand, the low level of scientific and technical results' commercialization. To solve the first issue of the problem it is advised to establish contests of development programs of scientific and research institutions (on the analogy of innovative universities contest which proved its efficiency within Prior national project "Education"). The target budget support of the leading research institutes will in the end provide the necessary process of restructuring the national scientific sector in general and the achievement of scientific results' new quality. The Ministry of education and science worked out a set of corresponding documents on the instructions of the President of Russia.

The same competitive approach should be implemented for Russian research institutions on the international level. This opportunity is provided by Russia's joining the 7th Frame program of research and technological development of EU. That will provide our access to the scientific potential of main European research centers and will give a mighty incentive for developing the commercialization of the results received, for reforming the ineffective structure and management. At present there are Russian-European subject consultations on concrete conditions of joining.

Considering the importance of the long-term system forecasting of Russian scientific and technological development for the innovative sphere we have already started work on realizing such a forecasting up to 2025 on the basis of internationally accepted "Forsyth" methodology. The first obtained results show that for transferring to the policy of rapid technological modernization it is vital to concentrate national resources on the technological projects and programs, which:

- are in the field of direct state responsibility (first of all those are defense, health service, education and fundamental science);

- are in demand of business and are a part of national interests (e.g. ecology, atomic energy, infrastructure modernization);

- provide creating a new technological base, the forming of which is outside the traditional horizon of planning the commercial activity (e.g. nanotechnologies).

In the frame of the stated complex approach these tasks can be solved effectively with specific interrelated tools - technological passages offered by the national innovative system. Its possibilities, though, are very limited today by the current legislation. The existing normative-legal base was formed to provide stability of the country - not the development, security or use the results of intellectual work. Today our legal reality actually blocks all those new which was brought by the life itself and is negative for forming and developing an effective innovative system.

At the same time the tasks given by the leaders of the country demand a completely different approach - to stimulate innovative activity and to remove barriers suppressing the development. The work to meet this lack is being conducted and its results are obvious. The key role here is played by Part Four of the Civil Code which came into operation on January 1, 2008. Two drafts were elaborated while developing its statements - "On technology transfer" and "On patent agents" (both were approved by the Government, the first is introduced to the State Duma today) - and five Governmental regulations were worked out.

These measures provide a creation of integrated system regulating the rights to results of scientific and technical activity achieved at the expense of the federal budget. In particular the state budget institutions of education and science which produce a significant part of such results are entitled to them. This motivates institutions and researchers to work innovatively.

However for practical implantation these institutions must have adequate mechanisms, for example, an opportunity to create a small-scale enterprise by investing evaluated rights to the results of intellectual activity. This demands reforming a number of regulations of Civil and Budget Codes and other federal laws but does not change their essence. The corresponding draft was prepared by the Ministry of education and science of Russia.

Some statements of the Federal law "On delivery of goods, execution of works and provision of services for public and municipal needs" (N 94-F3, of July 21, 2005) demand certain editing. The law does not contain regulations which are important for purchasing by offices of scientific research and development work (NIOKR), particularly for attracting executor's co-financing, providing additional time to make an expert examination of applications, qualified demands for participants and opportunity to sign a contract with several sides. The draft of the federal law on making changes in N 94-F3 is prepared and is being submitted.

Dear colleagues,

Innovations are progression, they are a mighty mechanism for developing all aspects of social life. Unfortunately the previous rules are limiting its implementation today. But there are no rules for all times and the old rules must be changed. THE INNOVATIONS CANNOT WAIT.

Thank you for your attention.