Identification of national S&T priority areas with respect to the promotion of innovation

and economic growth:

the case of Russia

Alexander Sokolov

State University – Higher School of Economics

Selecting S&T Priorities: Russia’s Selecting S&T Priorities: Russia’s ExperienceExperience

1996 - Government Commission on Scientific and Technological Policies approved a list of 8 Priority Areas for S&T Development and 70 Critical Technologies of Federal Importance

1999 - this list was submitted to a large-scale examination by more than 1,000 leading Russian experts

2002 - Russian President approved Basic Policies of the Russian Federation in the Sphere of S&T Development, 9 Priority S&T Areas and 52 Critical Technologies

Critical technologies (2002)Critical technologies (2002)

lack of strictly defined criteria for selecting and formulating priorities

actual expansion despite formal reduction too big and sector-specific areas covered: • “Prospecting, extraction, refinement and pipeline

transportation of oil and gas” • “Coal mining and procession” et al

almost everything is priority

Revision of S&T priorities: objectivesRevision of S&T priorities: objectives • Developing criteria for evaluation of technologies

• Analyzing components of existing critical technologies

• Identifying areas with the greatest innovation promise

• Revised lists of priorities and critical technologies together with recommendations on their use

• Evaluating the innovation capacity of critical technologies

• Proposal for practical implementation

Revision of S&T priorities: main criteriaRevision of S&T priorities: main criteria

capacity for enhancing capacity for enhancing Russia’s national security, Russia’s national security, including its technological including its technological securitysecurity

    contribution to accelerating contribution to accelerating GDP growth and enhancing GDP growth and enhancing competitiveness of Russia’s competitiveness of Russia’s national economynational economy

Revision of S&T priorities: other criteriaRevision of S&T priorities: other criteria

Precise and accurate formulation Precise and accurate formulation Detailed description of breakthrough Detailed description of breakthrough

technologies technologies Applications in different sectors, generation of Applications in different sectors, generation of

new research areasnew research areasConditions for fast practical implementation. Conditions for fast practical implementation. Amount of investment necessary for Amount of investment necessary for

industrial application of technologiesindustrial application of technologiesProbable risksProbable risksApplicability for implementation in the Applicability for implementation in the

framework of public programsframework of public programs

Revision of S&T priorities: Revision of S&T priorities: practical implementationpractical implementation

   Availability of technological developments ready for Availability of technological developments ready for application, their novelty and competitiveness Stage of application, their novelty and competitiveness Stage of development (research, technology, patent, samples, development (research, technology, patent, samples, business plan, market research, etc.)business plan, market research, etc.)

·  Potential users among firms in rapidly developing ·  Potential users among firms in rapidly developing industrial sectorsindustrial sectors

·  Workforce potential – researchers and skilled labor force ·  Workforce potential – researchers and skilled labor force in the industrial sectors where application is most likely in the industrial sectors where application is most likely

·   Availability of the necessary production facilities·   Availability of the necessary production facilities

Revision of S&T priorities: procedureRevision of S&T priorities: procedure

Proposals from government agenciesProposals from government agencies

Expert survey 1 – innovation products Expert survey 1 – innovation products

Expert panels – critical technologiesExpert panels – critical technologies

Expert survey 2 – innovation potential Expert survey 2 – innovation potential of critical technologies of critical technologies

A revised list of S&T prioritiesA revised list of S&T priorities

1.   Information and telecommunications systems

2.   Nanosystems industry and materials 3.   Living systems 4.   Rational nature utilization 5.   Power engineering and energy saving 6.   Safety and terrorism counteraction 7.   Prospective armaments, military and

special equipment

1996 2002 2004

Information technologies and electronics

Information and telecommunication technologies and electronics

Information and telecommunication systems

New materials and chemical technologies

New materials and chemical technologies

Nanosystems industry and materials

Transportation New transportation technologies

 

Manufacturing technologies

Manufacturing technologies  

Living systems technologies

Living systems technologies Living systems

Ecology and rational nature utilization

Ecology and rational nature utilization

Rational nature utilization

Fuel and power engineering

Energy saving technologies Power engineering and energy saving

Prospective armaments, military and special equipment

Prospective armaments, military and special equipment

Space and aviation technologies

  Safety and counteracting terrorism

Evolution of priorities

S&T Evaluation in Russia: S&T Evaluation in Russia: National level

Annual report of the Government to the President «Major directions of government policies in the field of science and technology development»

Performance based budgeting: strategic goals for the 3-year period, relevant national and sectoral programs, and a complex system of target indicators

Evaluation of critical technologies

S&T Evaluation in Russia: ProgramS&T Evaluation in Russia: Program level

Evaluation of the National S&T Program and other S&T-related programs

Evaluation of particular priority areas (implementation of program tasks, results achieved, socio-economic impact, target indicators)

Evaluation of the budget S&T foundations

S&T Evaluation in Russia: ProjectS&T Evaluation in Russia: Project level

Applications for research projects within S&T programs

Evaluation of results achieved:

mostly based on independent peer reviews, publication and citation analysis (RFBR)

S&T Evaluation in Russia: InstitutionalS&T Evaluation in Russia: Institutional level

Evaluation of State Research Centers: monitoring major indicators of SRCs’ activities (budget and non-budget R&D funding, quality of research personnel, fixed assets, R&D output, commercialization of research results, etc.)

S&T evaluation: government initiativesS&T evaluation: government initiatives

• a complex system of S&T evaluation

• harmonized indicators for international comparisons

• tailor-made statistical surveys

• Russian citation index

• information system for evaluation

Building of a complex national evaluation system

• Institutions (R&D units, universities, enterprises, SMEs, innovation infrastructure)

• Levels: individual scientists, research teams, sectors of economy, regions etc

• Stages of innovation cycle: basic research, applied research, technology transfer, innovation activities

Harmonized system of indicators

• Integrated indicators

• Basic indicators of S&T output

• Indicators reflecting impact of S&T on societal development

Integrated indicators

• global positioning of national S&T and innovation

• S&T specialization

• competitiveness

• science intensity of sectors of economy

• high-tech contribution in GDP and job creation

Basic indicators of S&T and innovation output

• S&T output – bibliometrics (publications, citation, S&T specialization indices), inventions, IPR (patenting, patent citation, etc); creation of science-intensive technologies

• Technology commercialization; IP utilization• Technology transfer (licenses, TBP, technology

specialization index, etc)• Innovation output• Innovation production and services by novelty level,

competitiveness, return from innovation, organization, marketing and other types of innovation, impact on production development, share of high-tech in export

Indicators reflecting impact of S&T on societal development

• Public awareness and acceptance of S&T role in socio-economic development

• Social status of S&T activities

• Contribution to education development

• Scientific literacy of population

• Innovation in households

THANK YOU

sokolov@hse.ru