On the Issue of Financing Basic Research

Abstract

   The issues of the current system for financing the Basic Research Program for the long-term period (2021—2030), hereinafter referred to as the Program, aimed at the formation of technological sovereignty and advanced innovative development of Russia are under consideration. The four years of the implementation of the Program allowed the authors tо make some observations. They noted contradictions between the stated goal of advancing S&T development and the tendency to underestimate the planned expenditures on basic research. There is also an imbalance between the performers of the Program and the managers of the budget funds that can be both a reason for the failure to achieve the stated goals of the Program and a basis for the flexibility of the budget funds spending. At the same time, there is a tendency to shift the focus from the basic research to applied research, what carries risks, according to the authors, of losing in the long-term perspective a number of scientific schools and basic research achievements. The authors note a trend towards a progressive reduction in the volume of funding for basic research both in relation to GDP and in absolute terms taking into account the inflation, especially in comparison with the government budget funding. The authors have previously concluded that the concentration of the government support on the applied research is also not also effective. Despite the Russia's leading position in the world community in terms of the volume of the government funding of R&D performed by the business sector it has not been possible to increase the share of the business sector in the gross domestic R&D expenditures.