NOVO-OGARYOVO, February 8. /TASS/. Russian scientific workforce is becoming one of the youngest worldwide, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Russian Council for Science and Education on Monday.
He noted that an increase of public authority, recognition of work of researchers, growth of the prestige of this profession among young people became "a significant integral result of efforts to develop science." According to opinion polls, as many as almost two thirds of parents are ready to support their children’s decision to pursue scientific research, and the number of such families doubled since 2016, the president added.
"As for the young people themselves, every tenth student in the country is ready to select a scientific career. The workforce of the domestic science is indeed becoming one of the youngest ones worldwide, while quite recently we were concerned that it was aging. The situation is changing, while our young people attain significant results in medicine, genetics, quantum physics, in other promising directions," he said.
Putin noted that the council’s meeting is attended by young scientists - laureates of the state award in the sphere of science and innovations for 2020. He enumerated the achievements of each of them, noting that "experts evaluate their discoveries as a real scientific breakthrough." "Your example, the work of your colleagues, demonstrate that we have a potent talent pool to develop new promising scientific directions, to continue the best traditions of great schools of science created back in the pre-revolutionary and Soviet times," the head of state noted addressing the laureates.
He reiterated that 2021 was declared in Russia the Year of Science and Technologies. He expressed hope that council members will take active part in events within its framework, which, in his opinion, should be directed not only at strengthening the scientific sphere itself. "A wide awareness-building is also needed, so that Russian citizens find out more about daily scientific research and achievements of scientists, about their significant contribution to the country’s development," the president asserted.