Who should popularize science? Why is the defence of the dissertation after the post-graduate education obligatory? How is the national project implemented? When there will be a law “About science”? Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Plenipotentiary Representative of the Government of the Russian Federation in JINR Mikhail Kotyukov commented on these issues in the interview to Indicator.ru.

Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Mikhail Kotyukov. Photo © Petr Kovalev / TASS

“What is the progress in the implementation of the national project “Nauka” (lit. “Science”)?”

“The national project “Nauka” is at the stage of its active implementation in all the key directions.

Five regions have been selected where world-level scientific and educational centres will be established. On 26 August, at the meeting of the Council of world-level scientific and educational centres, programmes of their development were considered, the key fields of activities and leading participants were determined. Governors themselves presented the projects of five pilot centres.

At the beginning of the upcoming year, we are going to hold one more meeting of the Council to discuss what will be achieved in the frames of these projects. By 2020, depending on whether the stated results are achieved or not, the Council will either confirm the state support or recommend to remove the region from the programme’s list.

Work is conducted on the modernization of the scientific infrastructure. Candidates were chosen who had been assessed in previous years and had been selected as leading scientific organizations. We have decided what programmes of equipment renovation to use and what new scientific devices to buy. Now, relevant agreements are being drafted.

As for such technically complicated issues of the project as the development of mega-science facilities and the development of the scientific fleet. We have already announced a competition for the design of ships. It evoked a vivid interest; we have received many applications. Now, we are processing their materials; the competition commission is working. The next stage is designing. Until 2020, we should get projects and then start building ships.

Mega science facilities comprise a large-scale and promising programme. Russia is now a participant of numerous international projects on the creation of facilities in other countries. We find it possible and necessary to launch similar facilities in Russia as well. We continue developing already launched projects on the creation of the NICA complex in Dubna and the PIC reactor in Gatchina. These projects will be implemented in strict adherence to the agreed rules. Nowadays, we are finishing discussions about technical parameters of the facilities that will be constructed in Novosibirsk and on Russky Island. A special research programme should be worked out to solve practical tasks at these facilities. We should determine the fields that require such unique facilities. A special council has been established to discuss and make rational decisions. The Order of the Russian President confirmed the need in the development of such a programme. In several months, the Government will develop and confirm the programme.

One more project considers the staff. I would say, thanks to RFBR grants, the competitive selection of projects implemented by post-graduate students was conducted. At the beginning of September, we will make decisions on the support of not less than 1,500 research projects, which will result in scientific papers, publications and dissertations. It is one of the steps towards the improvement of the post-graduate institution: this educational stage should be devoted to scientific practice, attaining research competence and carrying out research, preparation of research for publication, and performances at various scientific events. It is the first step towards modernization of the post-graduate institution itself. A special bill has been drafted to improve the statutory regulation to increase the importance and necessity of presentation of scientific studies as the results of training of post-graduates.

We also held a competition for the support of specialized educational and scientific centres. There were a lot of applications. Thus, we have selected the regional centres: Novosibirsk, Ekaterinburg, St. Petersburg, and Moscow. We have already signed agreements with organizations operating under universities. Funds will be soon allocated for the development of these units. Starting from the beginning of the academic year, the state budget will fully cover educational activities of these centres, as well as the issues of accommodation and meals for children who study in these centres as in boarding schools.

All this is a brief overview of the steps already taken and our first-priority plans in the frames of the implementation of the “Nauka” national project.”

“How to achieve the numbers of publications supposed by the national project and at the same time provide their high quality?”

“For the past several years, the number of publications made by Russian researchers and registered in international science citation databases increased for almost twice. So, we know how to increase the number of publications. The second question is reasonable: how not to lose quality? I can say that publications are cited twice more often after the increase in their number.

The number of publications considered in the upper quartiles is one of the indicators of the national project. We want to make it one of the key indicators of the activities of the leading scientific organizations. On the one hand, it will enhance the reputation of our organizations in the world. On the other hand, postgraduates, for example, will aim at high standards while doing their research. That is why we are sure that there will be more publications. The national project aims to double the number of publications until 2024. The qualitative improvement will be also provided.”

“Is the national project financed according to the schedule?”

“Yes, it is. The national project “Nauka” is one of the leaders in terms of such an indicator as the cash execution of the budget. We have transferred a significant amount of funds, more than 40%, to the institutions’ accounts. I mean those funds for the development of equipment, specialized scientific centres. Its amount will be increased. In fact, we follow the plans we have oriented to.”

“How is the national project supposed to influence the popularization of science?”

“Now, this task is integrated into the national project. We have placed additional emphasis on it believing that we should better inform the society what we are doing, for what purpose, and tell about the instruments we use. That is why my opinion about it has not changed. Those who are engaged in science should popularize it. Particularly those people can tell about their work and results in an engaging manner. We continue cooperation with our scientific organizations, and this cooperation has been already structured somehow. We conduct work with the university community, share the best experience, and try to bring the popularization issues to the top in the agenda of leaders of our universities and scientific institutes.”

“What is the key idea the Ministry put in the educational workshop “Ostrov 10-22” at which more than 100 teams from universities of the country gathered in Skoltech in July? How can you evaluate its results?”

“«Ostrov» is a fascinating project. It is the second such event, the first one was held last year on Russky Island. That is why we had some experience to base on while drafting the programme of events in 2019. In conclusion of the programme, we met rectors, and I expressed my hope that this tradition would not be interrupted after we leave the venue. I suppose the main goal of the event was to allow leaders of the scientific and educational community to be in tune with each other. The selection was carried out, and the competition was tough. Teams were supposed to convince themselves and organizers that they should come to the event. These were the teams that included rectors, prorectors, deans, staff members of universities and representatives of scientific organizations, industrial partners.

We devoted a special session of the event to the issues of the establishment of scientific and educational centres. It is important to me that there were not only five pilot projects but much more participants. During a week of active discussions, non-pilot regions significantly advanced. We have the exact plan in the frames of the project: to establish five centres in 2019, five in 2020, and another five in 2021. The government proposed to the regions to feel free going beyond the mentioned figures. Any subject of the Russian Federation has an opportunity today to initiate similar activities, pass a regional stage at which focuses will be determined. Then a dialogue between partners will be held to discuss how they will contribute to the development of the university, the region, science at large. “Ostrov” has shown that teams may conduct inner work, communicate horizontally, and that is very important. The project for the establishment of scientific and educational centres is a project for the whole country. Establishment of such centres is not the final goal. In fact, it is an instrument. For what? To introduce scientific ideas emerging in scientific centres and universities into economics. To invite regional companies to participate in discussions, setting tasks.

However, this is not enough too. We want students, Master’s students, post-graduates to participate in these activities. We want them not only to get a diploma but also to use their research potential, to coauthor useful technological solutions for industrial use. Such solutions may include world-level developments, breaking through technologies, and crucial issues of life necessities, although not of world level but essential for the region. In this regard, we will benefit from such close cooperation. Universities will see the need in them and their importance to the development of regions where they are located. Companies will be able to enhance their market positions acquiring more advanced technologies. Students will be able to see opportunities for self-fulfilment in their native regions where they have studied, in the regions with which they can link their lives in the future.

“Ostrov” helped us significantly advance in this field. In the beginning, only five first pilot regions were among relatively advanced teams. We closed the gap between regions in a week. Not because the first five were behind, they moved forward very well, in fact, but because the rest of the participants, acted very decisively witnessing these successful results. That is why we now have not less than 10 other regional programmes. I believe that the 2020 competition will be well-prepared and many participants will take part in it.

At the “Ostrov” event, we solved the tasks of digital transformation, the National technological initiative, the development of Universities. These issues were actively worked on at various platforms for two weeks. We worked on some technologies of using artificial intelligence in educational processes. Each student could choose an individual educational path. We saw the need for this or that educational module and got the useful feedback. On the one hand, it is a good heritage for organizers. On the other hand, participants of the programmes could test individual educational paths and understand how to manage and direct them. I know that some universities are going to use these developments in their educational practice starting from the new academic year. One of the key tasks in achieving these goals is to staff teams for achieving the priorities and tasks on which we are working today. In fact, at the “Ostrov”, we began to prepare management teams, first of all, so that they could transfer this momentum to universities, research centres and our technology companies.”

“In one of your previous interviews, you mentioned that there was a need for some kind of an exchange which would get calls from a business on the one hand and proposals from scientific organizations on the other hand. Can scientific and educational centres become such an exchange?”

“If the cooperation between different regions develops, and it is seen from the first steps that there is a basis for it, then we will obtain an analogue of such an exchange. These centres will allow us to set the technical task and fulfil it. Representatives of companies say: “We know all the schools operating in our region, but they do not cover all the scientific fields necessary to the development of our technologies. Where can we find partners, in what regions?” It will be possible. SEC teams already hold discussions and understand what competencies are shown by particular RF subjects. We can organize the cooperation system. It will be some kind of an eco-system that will allow a qualified customer to find a qualified executor and vice versa.”

“You have already talked about the use of artificial intelligence in education. What can you say about online-learning?”

“We can long discuss online learning. Nowadays, we all see the increase of educational content on the Internet. There are several tasks we should think over. The key task is the quality of online learning. On the one hand, we realize that universities face a large-scale task, to develop digital educational space. On the other hand, it is a challenge for universities. I have recently been at the all-Russian teacher staff meeting at which this issue was discussed in terms of possible dangers: does online learning pose a threat to classical University? It depends on the level of university education. If a university realizes that it should be on the front edge of changes, number one in technological issues, the development of educational programmes, then the E-learning is an opportunity for it.

It is obvious that society calls for E-learning, distant programmes, more flexible programmes, and individual training. Universities today have good initial conditions to dynamically occupy a niche of E-learning offering high-quality educational programmes and providing opportunities to use the whole range of digital technologies for passing these educational programmes, including taking final exams. That is why it is an opportunity for dynamically developing universities. It will make universities that do not benefit from this advantage less competitive in the medium term.”

“The Higher Attestation Commission started its work with new membership. What changes were made in the staff and organizational issues? What reforms can be awaited in the nearest future?”

“We have held only one meeting; it is difficult to make any profound comments. I can say one thing: jointly with the HAC leaders we held a series of meetings before the plenum and one after it. We agreed on the key tasks that had been publicly announced at the first large meeting. I wish that HAC will work guided by the concept of scientific and technological development. HAC will be an instrument providing the increase in the transparency, responsibility of all the participants of this large and complex project. Why does a person decide to take a post-graduate education? Why does a university admit him? What is the task we all want to solve? We have a lot to improve in the procedure of training highly qualified scientific staff and awarding scientific degrees. Anyway, it is significant to make responsibility, a conscious choice to take post-graduate education a priority. A man chooses his career path of a researcher. The university, the scientific organization, the dissertation council that admits this person should show him the highest standards necessary to achieve great results.

Much has been done in recent years to put everything in order. Some councils were closed; decisions on awarding scientific degrees were withdrawn. We are to train and attract to work in scientific and educational organizations, private agencies 35,000 new young researchers. And in this regard, it is crucial for the person not only to have a document confirming the defence of his dissertation and his degree of a candidate of sciences. It is crucial for him to be a real researcher, to understand that it is his choice, that he plans to develop his potential and use it to the full extent.

We have considered calculations and decided that there are enough dissertation councils now to achieve this result. However, there are tasks of space development, there are tasks of prioritizing fields of scientific and technological development, and we have a lot to improve in this direction. Digital technologies should be included in the preparation of a scientific paper, its discussion and defence. That is why colleagues from the HAC Presidium took up the higher duties to draft proposals on how to modernize all these processes, make them more transparent, more technological and oriented at achieving the desired result.”

“What are the main principles of the new law “About science”? What is the progress in work on the document?”

“The bill “About science” is now undergoing the stage of public consultations. We are waiting for sophisticated related offers. According to the plans of the Government, we should submit it to consideration in December.

We will finish the public discussion, consider whether the scientific society admits the preliminary materials or not, whether there is a need to remake it totally or it will be taken as the basis, and then we will just develop its constituents.

I would not like to comment on separate issues of it. We consider the bill as an instrument of legal regulation of all the decisions necessary for achieving strategic goals and priorities in the fields of scientific and technological development. So, it consists of numerous blocks. We will hold discussions for each of them. We will invite the professional community and advance step by step. And thus we will be able to discuss the new document in detail.”

Source: Indicator.ru