The government is preparing to centralize the planning of scientific and technical work

By 2025, the Ministry of Education and Science is preparing the transition to centralized planning of all research, development and technological work (R&D) carried out using budget funds. It is planned to do this on the basis of the Unified State Information System of Accounting (USISU). The agency proposed changing the process of providing information to this system, which will allow R&D to be taken into account at all stages of their life cycle and level of readiness. This “digital coverage” is intended to increase the efficiency of spending on science – the authorities are not satisfied with the current low level of implementation of research results and the lack of alignment of expenses with the priorities of scientific and technological development.

According to the plan of the Ministry of Education and Science, centralized planning on the basis of Unified State Institute of State History of All Research, Development and Technological Work carried out with the involvement of budget funds may become possible in 2025. This follows from the materials for the draft government decree published on regulation.gov.ru, which involves changing the process of providing information to this information system, as well as conducting an examination of draft scientific topics by the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In these materials, the department describes the problems that exist today in the management of science. It is pointed out, among other things, that there is no possibility of monitoring the effectiveness of the use of budget funds allocated for civilian R&D. We are talking about work planned within the framework of government assignments, as well as agreements on the provision of subsidies and grants, contracts for the provision of services. Duplication of work by budget recipients is also mentioned.

As stated in the materials for the resolution, there is currently no connection between expenditures on scientific research and experimental development and the priorities of scientific and technological development. It is also impossible to trace the results of R&D of various departments that ordered the work, including in terms of technology readiness levels.

The authorities are also concerned about the low level of implementation of the results of scientific research and development. According to the statistics provided, since 2014, 162,350 R&D projects have been completed, while 48,442 works were without results of intellectual activity (RIA). 60,923 RIAs were recorded, 55,820 RIAs without information about their use. In the current conditions, it is impossible to assess the adequacy of funds to finance R&D. There is also a lack of information about the results of research and development: there is information about 162,350 R&D projects started since 2014, but there is no information about 85,682 works.

It is assumed that the R&D accounting information system will become the basis for managing scientific research and will provide the authorities with data for a more accurate understanding of the current state of science. It will make it possible to apply a unified approach to managing work at all stages of the life cycle: from its beginning to the implementation of RIA, and will also establish control over the efficiency of using budget funds. The Ministry of Education and Science will determine the procedure and timing for posting R&D in the Unified State Institute of Public Health for all work planned or carried out by organizations, federal authorities will be able to approve forms for submitting information that take into account industry-specific features of the work, and the RAS will be relieved of the obligation to annually examine projects of scientific topics (academy conclusion on projects of scientific topics will be valid for the entire period of their implementation).

Note that the relevance of using such a unified approach is increasing due to the change in the priorities of the authorities in science – the task of achieving technological sovereignty requires the development of its key technologies with limited budget resources (see Kommersant on January 25).

Venera Petrova