Vol 7, No 3 (2025)

In recent years, hundreds of research reports and publications have said much that is fair about what contemporary Russian science and technology policy (STP) lacks in order to become mature and effective. It is noted that the scientific and technical progress is short of thoroughness and solidity, consistency and coherence, a strict focus on national interests, resource security and much more. The progress in Russian science and technology, even after 2022, still remains focused on achieving discrete reporting indicators and meeting formal standards, rather than solving the country’s vital problems and achieving concrete results in scientific and technological development. For years, some brave citizens and responsible researchers, including prominent Russian scientists and science facilitators, have been arguing for the need to focus the scientific and technical progress on solving the country’s real problems and setting practically significant goals, rather than on slogans and insignificant indicators.

It is necessary to make two preliminary remarks about the nature of the problem. The first one relates to faith in science during the Soviet period and to the loss of this faith in the post-Soviet period. This directly and proximately affects how science policy is formed and implemented. The second one is linked with the practical implications of theoretical reasoning.

Taking into account discussions on relations regarding scientific economic knowledge in terms of public goods, we consider the general foundations of state policy in the field of economic science management and support for its development. One of the ways to explain the reasons for government intervention is the alleged underproduction of scientific economic knowledge due to the free-rider problem as one of the manifestations of market failure. At the same time, based on the concept of dispersed and implicit knowledge, it is shown that economics is characterized by properties that limit the possibilities of effective direct impact on the development of research programs by measures of vertical industrial policy. The proposed direction is complementary to traditional methods of government support (subsidies, grants, government procurement) – investments in the development of an information infrastructure for the exchange of scientific ideas, which would create a separating equilibrium and answer the question of who is who in economics. The complementarity of state scientific policy instruments is explained in the light of the principle of sufficient diversity. It is shown that such a scenario is possible and even more likely in the case of competition between digital platforms – scientific databases.

The article was prepared as part of a journal discussion on the issue if a science-based policy in the field of science is possible. It contains the author’s opinion on a related question – is a politically justified development of science possible in contemporary Russia? This formulation allows a systematic approach to the problem of the symbiosis of state, as well as of corporate policy and national science. It also makes it possible to substantiate and propose specific ways to solve it rationally in modern conditions. More detailed arguments on the issues raised can be found in the author’s articles published in the Science Management: Theory and Practice journal in 2022 and 2024 (see the list of references).

The object model of scientific activity defines the structure of a tree of scientific disciplines and a set of scientific projects with a focus on solving the problem of effective science management. The construction of the model is based on the methodology of automata-based programming, requirements engineering and formal methods for modelling complex systems. Verification of the model in relation to real scientific activity has allowed to detect the principal drawbacks of the organization of modern scientific activity, in particular, the existing practice of conducting a low-quality expertise of scientific projects. In accordance with the principle of maximum competence, the best assessment of a scientific project can be given by the elite – specialists of maximum qualification in the discipline of the project being assessed. The elite is part of a community (association) of specialists for whom this discipline is a core one. The association unites specialists from different scientific organizations in different cities. The movement towards a new organization of scientific activity may occur on an initiative basis. Groups of leaders who have realized the benefits of the new organization will try to jointly create an association in their discipline or perhaps only within a certain discipline topic. One incentive is to build a quality portfolio of research projects in their discipline to increase the chances of customer support for projects. This is achieved by cross-examination of all relevant projects, both new and existing: each specialist of the association evaluates the projects of his/her colleagues. It is advisable to hold collective discussions of the results of the expertise, during which they are clarified and, in principle, can be challenged. It is necessary to finally eradicate the entrenched practice of the tyranny of neglect – each project should be examined by qualified experts. Another goal of the association is to perform a collective analysis of the prospects for further development of the scientific discipline. The association becomes an autonomous self-governing organization. It selects the elite for a competent evaluation of projects and formation of a portfolio of scientific projects for customers.

Studies on cooperation between science and business often focus on the challenges of knowledge transfer, including assessing the effectiveness of this process. However, such papers frequently fail to explicate the concept of knowledge transfer, even when conceptualizing or operationalizing it is essential. In Russian legislation, “knowledge transfer” is used as an established term, although its interpretations remain ambiguous and vary depending on a theoretical framework applied. Diverse theoretical frameworks emphasize distinct aspects of knowledge transfer, ultimately forming a comprehensive understanding of the process. At the same time, discrepancies in underlying theoretical assumptions often lead to inconsistencies across research findings and confusion in terminology. Furthermore, the dominance of particular concepts at different stages in academia inevitably shapes not only researchers’ interpretations of results but also policy decisions. Undoubtedly, defining knowledge transfer is inherently complex, owing to the multifaceted and varied interpretations of the foundational concept of knowledge. Nevertheless, terminology must not be overlooked in research or regulatory documents, as ambiguity undermines both theoretical and practical conclusions. Unlike existing overviews of knowledge transfer approaches, this article analyzes how differing theoretical assumptions influence the interpretation of the concept “knowledge transfer”. It incorporates firm-level approaches that treat organizations as repositories of knowledge. The findings of this study may prove valuable for future research on knowledge transfer and for drafting policies that outline strategies for science-business collaboration, as well as the role of research organizations in the science and technology development of a country.

The article analyzes the Strategy of digital transformation of the branch of science and higher education in the context of the main directions of scientific and technological development in the Russian Federation. The author focuses on the main strategic planning documents adopted as part of the long-term goals of national development at the level of state nationwide policy. In general, the author identifies the important role of the development of digital technologies in scientific and educational activities. At the same time, there is an insufficient potential for technological development of education and science. This reduces the technological efficiency of other sectors of the state’s economy. It is necessary to search for management tools and mechanisms capable of harmonizing the basic directions of the Strategy of digital transformation in the field of science and higher education, science and technology development, as well as the spatial development of Russia in terms of digitalization of designated areas of state interests, creation of scenarios and conditions for the formation of an innovative economy.

The article discusses the reasons for the emergence of the “White List”, which is a set of recommended journals for assessing the publication activity of researchers. In November 2024, it was announced that the Unified List of Academic Publications would be created based on the “White List”. Due to the fact that this list will be transformed in the near future, our goal was to monitor changes in the index of foreign journals in the “White List”, since they constitute the majority in this list, taking into account two samples (December 2024 and February 2025). We have studied such indicators as country and publisher, journal’s open access status, indexing in databases, thematic focus, as well as the number of foreign journals that have published works by authors with Russian affiliations for the period 2022–2025. To obtain much of this data, a JSON file from the website of the Russian Center for Scientific Information, where the “White List” is located, was not enough. Therefore, in order to extract the missing information, the open resource OpenAlex was used to construct API requests to the database. The study has yielded the following data: the leading publishers are Springer, Elsevier and Taylor & Francis with an open access share of 21–31%, indicating a hybrid open-access model. The DOAJ indexes 6,866 journals featured in the “White List”. Half of the foreign journals in the latter one focus on such subject areas as medicine (22%), social sciences (21%) and engineering (10%). Only one-third of the studied journals have published works by Russian authors in 2022–2025, and this figure is decreasing year on year. We have compared the two samples and found out that no changes were detected in the “White List” of the journals. This is quite natural since the monitoring began immediately after the announcement of the development of the Unified List of Academic Publications. We have described the starting point regarding the index of journals in the “White List”, and in further observations it will be possible to track even minor changes on the path to transforming the “White List” into the Unified List of Academic Publications.

The question of how much open access contributes to an increase in the number of references to academic publications and their dissemination among researchers is being actively discussed in the professional community. This study examines the relationship between citation indices of Russian journals included in the “White List” and their openness, in particular, indexing in the DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals). 274 journals were monitored. This allows us to obtain an extensive sample for the analysis of the issue considered by the author. The study monitored the number of citations of these journals over the past 10 years, as well as at the time of their inclusion in the DOAJ, which made it possible to assess the impact of this step on their visibility and relevance in the academic community. It is concluded that the mere fact of the openness of journals does not directly affect their visibility and citation rates; nevertheless, indexing in the DOAJ can be extremely useful for publications, as it ensures the inclusion of information about them in one of the world’s largest sources of open information, OpenAlex. This in turn will allow them to integrate into the global research infrastructure.

The article examines the dynamics of the development of factory laboratories throughout the Soviet period from the point of view of the government’s demand for them and the specifics of the practical implementation of measures to stimulate their work during the years of industrialization, reforms on the path to “the fastest possible mastery of new technology” in the late 1950s and the 1960s, and the consolidation of organizational forms of science in the 1970s–1980s. In the context of competition between two lines – a combination of centralized government management (the idea of concentrating limited forces in a few but fairly large scientific institutions) and the desire to bring R&D closer to production (to decentralize them at enterprises) – the factory laboratory sometimes disappeared from the attention of science and industry leaders, and then again turned out to be at the center of discussions and practical events related to scientific and technical policy. Answering the key question about the change in the role and functions of factory laboratories, the author characterizes a number of related topics that influenced their work – the features of the daily production routine of factory laboratories, the specifics of their position at enterprises and relationships with workshops, the personnel structure and features of the daily work of factory engineering and technical workers. Thus, the study will draw attention to a wider range of issues of the science and engineering policy and industrial development of the USSR in their interrelation. The work is based on materials from the fonds of the Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the State Archives of the Russian Federation and the Russian State Archives of Contemporary History. They are introduced into scientific discourse for the first time.

The article presents an essay on the life and scientific work of Fyodor Ivanovich Dubovitsky (1907–1999), a major Soviet and Russian scientist, Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Chemistry and Professor. He is a recognized specialist in the field of kinetics of chemical reactions, chemistry and physics of combustion and explosion. The name of F. I. Dubovitsky is associated with the design, construction, opening and operation of the research test site in the village of Chernogolovka (Moscow Oblast). Subsequently, the Branch of the Institute of Chemical Physics (ICP) of the USSR Academy of Sciences was created on the basis of this test site (renamed as the Department of the ICP of the USSR Academy of Sciences). It was headed by F. I. Dubovitsky. In 1991, the Institute of Chemical Physics of the RAS in Chernogolovka was established on the basis of the Department of the ICP of the USSR Academy of Sciences, renamed in 1997 as the Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics of the RAS (since 2022 – the Federal Research Center of Problems of Chemical Physics and Medicinal Chemistry of the RAS). Together with the Academician N. N. Semenov, F. I. Dubovitsky was one of the founders of the Scientific Center in Chernogolovka, which later became famous all over the world. The first part of the article tells about the life path of F. I. Dubovitsky and his achievements in the field of organizing scientific research.

The interaction of science and policy cannot but interest researchers, since the material possibilities for conducting the studies that appeal to them depend on state policy, and the provision of such opportunities by the state depends on whether science meets its demands. Within the framework of this broad topic, there is also a narrower problematic – the impact of scientific research on political ideas, and this article dwells upon its analysis. After clarifying concepts important for the analysis, such as policy, political problem and political idea, the article outlines the possibilities of science for developing new political ideas and analyzing those already being implemented, as well as the criteria for assessing the results proposed by politicians, both those already in power and those who claim such positions. Thus, a version of the analytical apparatus has been developed and presented, which can be used in specific areas of research to identify opportunities for productive interaction between science and political ideas.