R. Minnikhanov: “Academy of Sciences funding should not be a kind of compensation for past achievements”

State financing in a market economy should decrease. Larger manufacturers and private businesses will increasingly often order scientific research. The Tatarstan Academy of Sciences should be proactive in developing such cooperation, President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov said while speaking at a general report and election meeting at the academy. Attendees were State Counsellor Mintimer Shaimiev, First Deputy Prime Minister Ravil Muratov, deputy State Council chairman Alexander Gusev and many others.

President of the Academy Akhmet Mazgarov said, while delivering a report “On the Tatarstan AS’s performance and new tasks”, a new phase had begun for the academy after new regulations had been adopted in 2007.

In the reporting period, he said, both reorganisation and setting up new research facilities had been done. The Family and Demography Institute was set up in 2007, the Ecology and Subsurface Use Institute was established in 2008.

This year will mark 20 years since the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences was established, R. Minnikhanov recalled, adding that “the academy’s areas of work, structure and staff have over the years been formed, quite a long way has been made”.

“The potential of the domestic university science has been growing. Both Federal University and the two research institutes are interested in justifying their ambitions,” Tatar president said.

Remarking that the issue of state financing remains a priority at practically all meetings, R. Minnikhanov stressed: “The state will continue to support the fundamental science but the Academy of Science funding should not be a kind of compensation for past achievements, it should stimulate new research.” Grant programmes should be applied more often, he added.

The fates of younger scientists remain an urgent issue as well. “A lot has been said in the recent years about supporting learned youth. Our academy devised measures aimed to attract new research staff but, objectively speaking, there has been no serious change,” President complained. “There is a tendency in your work that, to put it mildly, causes disapproval – over 10 percent of the active Academy staff are former or active public governance representatives.”

In conclusion, the Tatarstan president said the academy had over the 20 years made a substantial contribution to the republic’s social and economic development. “The criticism has the only purpose, for us to be able to say at the next report meeting that the Tatarstan’s science community has achieved new serious results,” R. Minnikhanov enhanced.