On the Separation of Scientific Activity and the State-owned Corporate Form of Science Management in Contemporary Russia. Part 1

Abstract

The article presents the details of ideas and proposals announced by the author in 2021 within the framework of the round table of the “Science Management: Theory and Practice” journal (on the topic “Science in an Innovative Economy”). The proposed measures are considered as increasingly relevant in the face of the long-term confrontation with the ‘collective West’ which is striving for scientific and technological isolation of contemporary Russia. The first part of the article gives an overview of the developments and trends observed both among Russian researchers, including scholars in science studies, and in the field of state regulation of scientific, academic and technological activities, as well as provides a critical analysis of organizational and legal aspects and practices of interaction between models of a ‘qualified customer’ and a ‘qualified contractor’ of scientific research and development. According to the results of the analysis, the author justifies the conclusion about the need for separation of scientific activities in present-day Russia. Separation is understood as the process of concentration and rational differentiation of the proper ‘scientific’ and then scientific and technological activities from the related quasi-scientific fields. The appropriate legal and organizational measures serve as the separator (separation mechanism) in this context. It is proposed to develop and implement them in the near future with the direct participation of Russian researchers endowed with state responsibility and the appropriate powers and authority.