During recent years the state has ensured flow-in of considerable means to the system of professional education. The financing of main directions of its development did not stop even in conditions of world economic crisis. As a result, there has appeared a principally new educational environment, and now the key question is efficient realization of potential, which is pot into it. We have spoken about the inconvertibility of changes to the minister of education and science of the Russian Federation Andrei Fursenko, who traditionally gives the tone to the discussion about professional education in our title.

       - Andrei Alexandrovich, what most significant changes in the sphere of professional education have taken place recently?

       Today we have managed to create a network of educational institutions, which realize innovative programs. They are unique "centers of perfection" and they are destined to become locomotives and to pull up the whole Russian education and to become a basis for modernization of the country.

       Due to serious financial investments the state has managed to provide a qualitative breakthrough in equipping universities with innovative infrastructure by considerably shortening technological gap with leading Western institutes. By some directions the bounce has been made in 10-15 years at once. 29 national research and 7 federal universities have become the center of new technologies and innovations in the sphere of education. Efficient instruments of development, modern project and organizational-financial mechanisms have been elaborated on their ground.

       The analogical approach is used in the field of unacademic professional education. Thus, only within the national project "Education" more than 300 resource centers of training qualified workers and technical specialists have been created. The total investments from the side of the federal budget for these purposes are about 9 billion rubles with the volume of co-financing from the regional budgets of 3.3 billion rubles and of means of employers of 5.5 billion rubles. At present the ministry is working on start of complex projects of modernization of professional education in the regions. We hope that the new federal target program of development of education will let us take a new qualitative step in this direction.

       - It was spoken a lot about the necessity to create innovative enterprises at universities. The special law was worked out. Has it started working? What are the successes in this direction?

       The law you are talking about really started working in the end of last year. Today at universities about 500 small enterprises have been created. The part of them are already working actively and produce output. The process has been launched, but some finalization is still necessary.

       Also this year the government has launched a large project, for which 19 billion rubles are given, on development of cooperation of Russian universities and production enterprises. The aim is to stimulate usage of potential of Russian institutions of higher education by production enterprises for development of science-intensive production. This year 107 enterprises have become winners of the open contest. The maximal size of financing one project is up to 300 million rubles for three years at the expense of the federal budget. Plus money of the enterprise itself should be invested to this project, at this not less than 100% of given state subsidize. The money should be directed to financing science-research, design-experimental and technological works, and organization of science-intensive production. With efficient realization the profit will be collective.

       - The program of development of innovative infrastructure in universities is probably included to this very chain?

       It is an independent project, for which the state is giving 8 billion rubles, but the target is the same - support of development of leading Russian universities, stimulation of their innovative activity. By the results of the contest this year 56 institutions of higher education have been selected, the indexes and future development programs of which corresponded with the pursued targets. The maximal sum which is given to one university is 150 million rubles for three years. Next year we plan to conduct one more contest on support of programs of infrastructure development of universities.

       With the help of the declared programs we manage to considerably bring together positions of system of education and real sector of economics, at this in the most advanced fields.

       - And what about the situation with drawing closer educational programs and competences of graduates to demands of business?

       To make system of education correspond demands of employers, these demands should appear. Unfortunately, at present when composing economic forecasts one does not practically pay attention to forming application for training personnel. In strategies, which are written in separate branches of industry, this issue is omitted. Professional requirements should appear: what employer expects of specialist. For them we will adjust educational standards of both higher school, and primary and basic professional education. There are several such lists already: on atomic industry, aviation, and information technologies. In this issue a lot of things depend on interest of representatives of business-community in cooperation with system of education. There are examples of Novolipetsk metallurgical complex, JSC "KAMAZ", Transneft, Rosneft. These companies are directly involved to the process of training regular labor force of the enterprise. The geography of the experiment is not insignificant: the educational institutions-winners are located on the territory of 34 subjects of the Federation. At this the most number of winners are in directions "Metallurgy, machinery and materials processing", "Informatics and computing technologies", "Economics and management", "Energy, power engineering and electrical technology".

       Today enterprises, which are being modernized, are really short of high-class specialists, to whom they are ready to pay high salaries. Those, who started education on programs of applied baccalaureate, will get a profession, which is in demand of economics, with the diploma of higher education.

       - Improving the quality of education is impossible without improving the quality of teaching. Talks about attracting leading scientists to universities are taking place for a long time. How are things in reality?

       The first experience took place last year, when we offered special grants to our former compatriots for work in our universities. The experiment was successful - there were 400 applications for 100 grants, and people with other approaches and methods appeared in the universities, who are able to take a new look at innovative development of higher school of Russia.

       A more widespread project has started this year. The state grants are given to the leading scientists who expressed their wish to work in domestic universities, at this it not important where a scientist is from - either from Russia or abroad. 12 billion rubles are laid for realization of this project during three years. 507 scientists together with 179 universities have applied for this. The winners, who will get up to 150 million rubles for three years, are selected by a reputable council of famous Russian scientists with taking into account the opinion of Russian and foreign experts. It is important that actually good scientists would come to us.

       - Judging by the money, laid for the maximal grant for one scientist, not more than one hundred people will get support, and there is the contest of more than five people for one grant. How did you manage to attract such an attention?

       I think the fact is the scientists who are going to work to Russia are attracted by not only the money. Firstly, we offer really comfortable conditions for work. Secondly, we have preserved an interesting scientific environment. Besides, there is opportunity to work with good aspirants and students - there are many perspective personnel in the country.

       - What do you expect at the output of this program?

       The target of this whole program is not in fulfilling some project in Russia, even under the guidance of a scientists of international fame. It is important that when carrying out the project this scientists would create an efficient laboratory of world level in the university, train successful and highly skilled young aspirants and post-docs, passed a part of his/her experience to them and leave a collective after the completion of the project, which would be able to function and develop equally and to produce scientific results of world level even after departure of the scientist. And then this will have the most serious and modernizing influence on both the university's activity and the scientific atmosphere in the region and in the whole country.