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The Russian Foundation for Basic Research supports the scientific and 

technical potential of the country and provides Russian scientists with financial  

support through competitive funding mechanisms on the basis of expert estimates.

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The Russian Foundation for the Humanities supports research in the humanities  

and the dissemination of humanities knowledge in society.

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 They are state foundations.  

The Russian Scientific Foundation (set up in 2013 as a non-profit organisation 

with huge initial funding from the government) distributes special grants for 

advanced research projects at research and education centres, for young talents 

and highly skilled professionals (scientists, teachers, post-graduate students), for 

Russian scientists returning from abroad etc. 

The Federal State Autonomous Institution “Russian Foundation for Technological 

Development” assists in the implementation of state policy in the area of science 

and technology. In collaboration with technology platforms, it performs scientific 

and technological, legal, financial and economic expert analyses of the innovation 

projects and finances prospective R&D activity based on the results of tenders.

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The Fund for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises in Science and Technology 

(FASIE) is a state non-profit organisation. Its activities are coordinated by the Supervisory 

Board, approved by the Government of the Russian Federation.

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The Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects is an advanced 

military research agency tasked with informing the country’s leadership on projects 

that can ensure Russian superiority in defence technology. It analyses the risks 

of any Russian technological backwardness and technological dependence on 

other powers.

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The Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) is a federal executive 

authority (within the structure and under the jurisdiction of the Ministry for 

Economic Development) performing control and supervision functions in the area 

of the legal protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights, including 

patents and trademarks.

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 The main responsibilities of the Federal Institute of 

Industrial Property include

preparatory work for the implementation of Rospatent 

legal actions related to the legal protection of the results of intellectual activity 

and the means of individualisation: inventions, utility models, industrial designs, 

trademarks and databases.

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22. See: <http://goo.gl/VHz0SE>.
23. See: <http://goo.gl/x34sbM>.
24. See: <http://www.rftr.ru/en/>. From 2014, the Development Foundation for Industry. 
25. See: <http://www.fasie.ru>.
26. See: <http://www.fpi.gov.ru>.
27. See: <http://www.rupto.ru/en_site/index_en.htm>.
28. See: <http://goo.gl/gGMVuc>.

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Academia and higher education systems

In 2013-2014 there were 969 higher education establishments in the Russian 

Federation, attended by about 6 million students. About 70 per cent of them are 

engaged in R&D and innovation activities to a varying degree and with varying 

effectiveness. The 29 national research universities represent a new institutional 

form of organising scientific and education activity

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 (HSE, estimates).

More than half of the Russian labour force is educated at tertiary level. 

Russian performance is better than the OECD average in terms of literacy, and 

similar to the OECD average in terms of numeracy. On the other hand, Russians 

do worse in using ICT tools efficiently and effectively solving problems that arise 

in everyday life (OECD, 2014b). 

 Historically the Russian Academy of Science played a significant role in 

the development of Russian science. However, the academic sector was fairly 

autonomous and poorly integrated with education and business.

In 2013 all state 

academies were restructured into one unit, the Russian Academy of Science, which 

will be responsible for organising and carrying out fundamental research, as well 

as offering expert appraisals of research results.

In the Russian Federation universities were never major centres of research 

as in other countries. The government is making efforts to transform 8 federal 

universities and 29 national research universities into world-class universities and 

to change the situation (see below). As a result, the share of HEIs among R&D 

institutions has increased from 9 per cent to 16 per cent, and the contribution 

from their results to the development of the economy and society is increasing

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(HSE, 2013a: 26, 179). 

Research institutes

Almost 50 per cent of all Russian scientific organisations are research institutes 

(academic and industrial/sectoral). Branch institutes are usually under the 

jurisdiction of the federal ministries or funded by large companies. A network 

of research institutes is operating across Russia but is very unevenly distributed.

Most of them are concentrated in just a few regions. For example, only three 

regions (Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Moscow region) account for more than 

55 per cent of institutions. 

In the1990s Russia inherited more than 4,000 research institutes (and other 

research organisations, including universities and departments of industrial enterprises) 

from the Soviet era (Cassiolato and Lastres, 2009); now there are more than 

29. See: <http://goo.gl/56s52E>.
30. See: <http://goo.gl/ezpmHQ>. 

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3500 units with 727,000 researchers. Over 60 per cent of the GERD goes to the 

business sector of science (industrial research institutes, departments of industrial 

enterprises etc.); with 30 per cent allocated to the public sector, and 7-9 per cent 

to HEIs (HSE, 2013b: 131, 133). Budget expenditures in science have a somewhat 

different structure, with a greater emphasis on support for the public and higher 

education sectors of science. 

Enterprises, technoparks and special economic zones

State-owned enterprises are present in a wide range of sectors, and are usually 

industry leaders (OECD, 2011a). They also dominate in the business segment of 

science. However, in general the role of enterprises (large, medium and small) is 

less important in Russia than in other developed countries. 

More than 80 per cent of business investment in innovation in Russia is 

concentrated in large state-owned enterprises (OECD, 2014b). Support for 

business innovation focuses heavily on large businesses, including state-owned 

enterprises. Moreover, R&D expenditure in the business sector is largely financed 

by the government. Low demand for innovation from enterprises is one of the 

main weaknesses of the Russian NIS in general and the R&D sector in particular 

(OECD, 2011a). 

The Skolkovo Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation whose overarching 

goal is to create a sustainable ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation, 

engendering a start-up culture and encouraging venture capitalism. It identified 

five key areas of potential growth: energy efficiency, strategic computer technologies, 

biomedicine, nuclear and space technologies.

There are a number of initiatives to drive the development of innovation 

activity in Russia, among the most important of which are territorial innovation 

clusters,

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 techno parks,

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 business incubators and special economic zones.

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There are more than 50 innovation technology centres in 20 regions. Though 

there are no statistical data for 2013 or 2014, estimates indicate that there about 

100 techoparks.

34

31. See: <http://goo.gl/UE9xkT>. In 2013-2014, 25 clusters were chosen. They will have government support until 2017. 
32. Russian university research parks, science parks or science and technology parks are the areas where innovation 

is key. They are physical places that support university-industry and government collaboration with the intention of 

creating high-technology economic development and advancing knowledge. There are 88 technoparks in the Russian 

Federation, but only 15 of them are considered effective and successful. See: <http:/nptachnopark.ru/upload/spravka.pdf>.
33. See: <http://eng.russez.ru>. Starting in 2005, in 2014 five zones were operating in St.Petersburg, Dubna, 

Zelenograd, Tomsk and Tatarstan. The main instruments of regulation here are benefits, free customs regimes, 

preferential leasing rules etc. 
34. The Russian Union of Innovation and Technology Centres alone unites 27 innovation technology centres in 

20 regions of Russia. See: <http://eng.unitc.ru>.

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Regulatory and policy framework of the National Innovation System

Main recent plans/programmes

Among the most relevant strategic plans related to STI are “The basic direction of 

the Russian Federation’s policy on science and technology development until 2020 

and the subsequent period (2012)”, “The strategy for innovative development 

of science in the Russian Federation until 2020” (Innovation Strategy 2020), 

“The concept of long-term socio-economic development until 2020” (CLTD) and 

the above-mentioned President’s decrees (Kuznetsova, 2013). 

The CLTD, Innovation Strategy 2020 and other key documents present several 

main elements of innovative development and policy framework: rational selection 

of S&T priorities and preferential support for competitive and flexible scientific 

groups (skills centres); connections between science, business and other spheres 

(education, health, environment etc.); more effective and optimal distribution of 

budget resources; and a “rationale” for partnership with foreign countries. In fact, 

the documents contain a “roadmap” for reforms, featuring the development of 

human resources for innovation, infrastructure support, stimulation of demand 

for innovation, performance-based budgeting, restructuring the government 

R&D sector, target indicators etc. (ibid.). See table 4 for target indicators for the 

development of the NIS.

The state programme “The Development of Science and Technology for 2013-2020” 

(2012) and the “Federal Targeted Programme for Research and Development in 

Priority Areas of Development of the Russian Scientific and Technological 

Complex for 2014-2020” (2013) aim to ensure by 2020 a world-class level of 

R&D and global competitiveness of the Russian Federation in the areas defined 

as the national scientific and technological priorities.

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The main goal of the federal targeted programme “Research and Pedagogical 

Cadre for Innovative Russia in 2014-2020” is to develop a system of efficient training 

for professional researchers and to increase their international competitiveness.

There are more than 40 special state programmes with a technological focus 

which aim to develop the scientific and technological fields and support 

modernisation processes in sectors of the national economy. For example, “The State 

Coordination Programme for the Development of Biotechnology in the Russian 

Federation until 2020” (BIO 2020) aims to bring Russia into a leading position 

in the development of biotechnology, including certain areas of biomedicine, 

agrobiotechnology, industrial biotechnology and bioenergetics and the creation 

of a globally competitive sector of bioeconomics, which, along with nanoindustry 

35. See: <http://goo.gl/4s5QgI>.

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and ICT, should become the basis for modernisation and the creation of 

post-industrial economics.

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The use of technology platforms as a mechanism for innovation and cooperation 

was originally implemented in the early 2000s in Europe and adopted in Russia 

in 2010,

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 with 34 platforms operating in 13 fields of science and technology. All 

platforms carry out strategic research programmes; more than 3,000 organisations 

are involved in their activities. 

Financial and tax mechanisms

The Russian Venture Corporation (RVC) is a government fund of funds and a 

development institute. It was established by the government in 2006, with the mission 

to encourage Russia’s own venture capital industry and boost the capital of venture 

capital funds.

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 The Russian Venture Capital Association (RVCA) was established in 

1997. It has 27 full members and 23 associate members.

39

 The RVC now operates 

as a modern development institute and supports and integrates new government 

initiatives (so called national “puller” projects, national technological initiatives etc.). 

The Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank) 

is a state corporation performing the functions of a Bank for Development. Among 

its goals are developing high-technology industrial sectors, unlocking the potential 

of innovation and the production potential of small and medium-sized enterprises.

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Rusnano and the Fund for Infrastructure and Educational Programmes are state 

instruments dedicated to fostering the growth of the nanotechnology industry in the 

Russian Federation. Rusnano carries out its mandate through commercial mechanisms, 

by co-investing in nanotechnology projects with substantial economic potential.

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Relevant legislation

The basic law in the field of science in the Russian Federation is the Federal Law 

“On Science and the State Science and Technology Policy”. It was adopted in 1996, 

and since that time has undergone significant changes and additions. Among other 

important laws are those “On the Status of Science City in the Russian Federation” 

(1999), “On Special Economic Zones in the Russian Federation” (2005), “On Autonomous 

Institutions” (2006), “On the Russian Corporation for Nanotechnology” (2007), 

“On the Skolkovo Innovation Center” (2010)

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 and “About the Russian Academy of 

36.See: <http://goo.gl/hnVcOH>.
37. See: <http://goo.gl/uWlbdq>. 
38. See: <http://goo.gl/IPNxEY>. 
39. See: <http://goo.gl/FvdYwu>.
40. See: <http://goo.gl/iUqZGw>. 
41. See: <http://goo.gl/KFC6cX>. 
42. For a comprehensive list, see: <http://goo.gl/0Cra8F>.