The Ministry of Education and Science is adjusting the grant program for university development
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The White House intends to adjust the conditions of the Priority 2030 state program for the development of universities, the effectiveness of which previously raised questions. To achieve this, it is planned to change the requirements for universities that are candidates for receiving grants. In particular, they will be required to co-finance their development program. Recipients of a special part of the grant will be required to conduct research and development in the interests of enterprises in the real sector of the economy – to implement the results of scientific activity into production as part of the policy of import substitution and the movement towards technological sovereignty.
The Ministry of Education and Science has prepared a draft government resolution, which proposes to adjust the rules for supporting universities within the framework of the Priority 2030 state program. This program started in 2021 and by 2030 should help create more than a hundred centers of scientific and technological development in Russia.
The implementation of the initiative did not begin without problems: at the end of last year it was reported that out of 106 universities receiving federal funding in the form of grants, 41 were unable to achieve the required indicators, and in the reports of 73 universities, officials identified “signs of unreliable data” (see Kommersant). Online” dated December 1, 2022). In total, according to the Ministry of Education and Science, 132 universities are participating in Priority 2030. Of the 110 universities receiving the basic part of the grant (designed for projects that will allow the university to integrate into the regional agenda), 48 additionally receive its special part: 17 – under the “Research Leadership” track, 31 – under the “Territorial or Industry Leadership” track .
Now the ministry wants to change the grant rules. According to the project, candidate universities must themselves find funds for their development program in the amount of at least 50% of the minimum amount of the base part of the grant. Receipt of the basic or special parts of the grant will occur on a rotational basis, depending on the results of the ranking of universities. If within three years the special commission has not decided to provide the university with the basic part of the grant, then it is excluded from the list of candidates for it. Universities will be able to withdraw from the list of participants and candidates on their own initiative.
To solve problems related to ensuring import substitution and achieving technological sovereignty, universities that receive a special part of the grant include obligations to conduct scientific research and development in the interests of the real sector of the economy. It is proposed to add a new point to the project evaluation criteria – the level of economic demand for research and development of the university, its contribution to the development and implementation of critical and end-to-end technologies. For now, as we know, a considerable gap remains between science and production: science is focused on publications, while innovation is often a by-product (see Kommersant on May 26).
“The general goal of the prepared amendments is to increase the coverage of the program by attracting new participants, as well as increasing its effectiveness,” the Ministry of Education and Science explained to Kommersant, noting that the program will be able to include 76 more universities from 65 regions that meet the new criteria. The changes are also aimed at creating additional incentives to introduce the results of scientific activities into production.
Universities have “digitized” departments
As part of the “Digital Departments” project, university students will be able to obtain qualifications in an IT profile in addition to their main specialty. According to the Ministry of Education and Science, 119 universities participating in the Priority 2030 program have already opened “Digital Departments”. Within the framework of the project, 490 additional vocational training programs are being implemented for 110 thousand students. It is planned that in 2024 there will be twice as many.
Amendments to the government decree on the rules of the state program “Priority 2030” prepared by the Ministry of Education and Science provide for the introduction of a new characteristic of the result of the grant: the number of people who have completed free education in “digital departments”. It correlates with another result: students are provided with the opportunity to obtain additional qualifications in an IT profile through training at the “digital department,” says the explanatory note to the document.
It should be noted that in 2023, experts evaluated 874 programs prepared by universities – this work was organized by the Digital Economy ANO. More than 30% of the programs were criticized and were improved in partnership with IT companies. “Now there is a trend toward an intensive development of the education system, that is, it is necessary not so much to worry about the number of trained people, but about the quality of educational programs that would meet the needs of the labor market,” notes Sergei Plugotarenko, general director of the Digital Economy ANO.
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