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Putin to address annual general meeting of Russian Academy of Sciences

One of the issues to be discussed is partnership between the state and the research/educational community in the interests of speedy national development

MOSCOW, May 22 (Itar-Tass) – Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to address an annual general meeting of full members and corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences that will discuss the Academy’s operating results for 2011, the Kremlin press service said.

It is expected that Putin will inform the academicians on his vision of the prospects for development of science in Russia with due account of the tasks society and the state are faced with today, namely, the creation of an up-to-date steady economy, high living standards of the population, the consolidation of Russia’s global positions, and implementation of large-scale international projects.

One of the issues to be discussed is partnership between the state and the research/educational community in the interests of speedy national development. More specifically, Putin hopes to discuss with participants in the meeting the role of science in development projects, the setting up of a comprehensive system of long-term forecasting, the implementation of corporate innovative development programs, and modernization of the defense manufacturing sector.

The meeting will consider the problems of research financing, including the grants by private investors, an increase of efficiency of state allocations, the consolidation of the Academy’s material and technical infrastructure, and improvement of researchers’ social well-being.

In 2002, Russia’s budgetary spending for civilian science stood at around 30 billion rubles /USD 1=RUB 29.5 at the current exchange rate/. Over the ten years that have elapsed since then, the volume of allocations has grown tenfold to reach 323 billion rubles at present.

Financing of the Academy of Sciences proper jumped from 12.6 billion rubles to 64.1 billion rubles over the same period of time.

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