RUSSIA: Millions for research and development

Leading universities will receive up to 90 billion rubles (US$3 billion) to support R&D activities over the next three years. Announcing the grant, Minister of Education and Science Andrei Fursenko said the funds would improve the scientific potential of universities and attract foreign scientists, including Russians currently working abroad.

All of the grants will be provided on a competitive basis.

Sergey Ivanets, Director of Department of Strategy and Perspective Projects in Education and Science at the ministry, said Russia was experiencing a lack of research projects and was forced to attract compatriots from abroad.

Analysts believe most of the money will go to so-called federal Russian universities, such as Southern, Siberian and Far Eastern, as well to 14 research universities.

Federal universities were established by the government as autonomous institutions. Each has its own special rights in the field of education and innovation, and financial and economic activities.

The university presidents are not elected but appointed by the government for five years. Each university also must form its own board of trustees.

It is expected that, in addition to the federal universities, state financial support will only go to those universities with strong staff who have authored many scientific publications or patents and whose results can be applied in practice.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the investments would allow the establishment of "powerful research centres", similar to those at the Kurchatov Institute, Russia's leading research and development institution in the field of nuclear energy.

Universities will be able use the money to purchase training and laboratory equipment, further train academics, develop information resources and improve management and research.