ISSEK highlights 2015
Here’s a review of major events, projects and publications by HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge which marked the year 2015. Some of them will continue in the new year as well.
#Keywords about the events, projects and publications of HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge which marked the year 2015:
January: Moscow Mayor visits HSE and ISSEK; Russian Science Citation Index
February: Science Day; ISSEK research grants for young scholars; discussing “shale fever” prospects; digital divide among Russian regions
March: gender aspects of attitude to science; readiness for “open innovations” in Russia; the water sector’s development scenarios; defining borders of the IT industry; “Ideas 2020” open lecture marathon
April: HSE April Academic Conference; Open Day of ISSEK Master’s Programme "Governance of Science, Technology and Innovation"; career in science for children in parents' view
May: Russian Regional Innovation Development Ranking (3rd issue); a foresight study for the energy industry; Russian Cluster Week
June: lecture on foresight at “HSE at Gorky Park”; innovative territorial clusters; 2nd enrolment in ISSEK Master’s Programme; a visit by colleagues from Brazil (CGEE)
July: innovation development programmes for state-owned companies; special programme for a delegation from Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology; teaching at Foresight Courses in Manchester; David Sarpong joins the Research Laboratory for Science and Technology Studies; “Futurenomics”
August: more lectures at “HSE at Gorky Park”; analytical report on innovations at state-owned companies; federal subsidies to support clusters; discussing science communication
September: Russians’ scientific literacy and ecological practices; Russian Cluster Map; a visit by the delegation of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan; Professor Nicholas Vonortas joins ISSEK
October: Internet usage in Russia; development of the water sector; supporting foresight at RAS institutes; All-Russian Science Festival; GeorgiaTech conferences
November: UNESCO Science Report (with a chapter about Russia); HSE Foresight Conference; industrial clusters
December: Russian Science Citation Index; participation at the revision of the Oslo Manual; discussing cluster policy instruments; Leonid Gokhberg becomes a member of the Board of the Russian Foundation for the Humanities
For more details, see below. Please mind that the news marked with the asterisk (*) are written in Russian.
ISSEK researchers met the Mayor of Moscow during his visit at HSE new premises*.
ISSEK began taking part in reviewing Russian scientific journals* in the scope of the Russian Science Citation Index project on the Web of Science platform. Leonid Gokhberg, HSE First Vice-Rector and ISSEK Director, was elected deputy chairman of the working group responsible for peer reviewing of Social Sciences journals.
Giorgio Sirilli, Associate Research Director at Italy’s Research Institute on Sustainable Economic Growth of National Research Council (IRCrES) and former chair of the OECD Working Party of National Experts on Science and Technology Indicators (NESTI), gave an open lecture at HSE within Governance of Science, Technology and Innovation MA programme.
The interest to our institute’s research traditionally increases on the eve of the Science Day (February 8). Accordingly, we’ve shared data on Russian researchers’ career choice motivation* (spoiler: self-realisation and a chance to satisfy scientific interests are more important than material incentives). Inspired by these results of the Doctorate Holders Monitoring study, HSE press service asked leading HSE scientists: “Why do people become researchers and pursue careers in science?”
To support gifted Russian researchers specialising in science, technology and innovation, ISSEK announced an open contest for individual research projects* with the prize of 230,000 roubles. Several more contests of the kind were held during the rest of the year.
The authors of the Innovation Activities of the Innovation Process Actors Monitoring Project analysed how R&D results are being applied in industry. Their conclusion: relationships between developers and consumers of innovations vary from administrative enforcement to informal contacts, but one way or another, the state remains in charge of innovation in Russia*.
The Centre for Statistics and Monitoring of Information Society studied availability of Internet access in Russian regions. In terms of broadband access, the gap between various regions is quite wide: in the Kamchatka Region, there’re 367 subscribers per 100 population, while in the Perm Region, there’re 22 (see infographics* for more).
Liliana Proskuryakova, ISSEK leading researcher, participated in the online discussion on the “shale fever” prospects at STRF.ru*.
For the International Women’s Day we published a few figures from the data book “Science and Technology Indicators in the Russian Federation: 2015” (which was just about to be completed at the time). E.g. the share of female researchers in Russia exceeds 40%. To compare: in Japan it’s 14%, in France — 26%, in Switzerland — 30%, and in Sweden — 37%.
Gender differences have little effect on Russians’ interest to science and technology achievements*: 69% of men and 60% of women follow relevant news, or at least try to have an overall understanding of scientific developments.
Well in advance of the Open Innovations Forum, the authors of the Innovation Activities of the Innovation Process Actors Monitoring Project presented results of the survey running for many years, which indicate that Russian companies’ readiness for “open innovations”* raises serious doubts.
In the future, water may become a source of conflicts or an incentive for cooperation between countries. At the round table discussion at HSE, Russian and international experts spoke about various options for national water sector development strategies, taking into account global challenges and long-term innovation development trends.
ISSEK experts identified the borders of the information and IT industries*, or rather developed generalised classification groups: “Information Industry” and “Information Technology Industry” based on the All-Russian Classification of Economic Activities and the All-Russian Classification of Products by Economic Activity within a project commissioned by the Russian Ministry of Communications and Mass Media.
Ruslan Saygitov and Ozcan Saritas of ISSEK Foresight Centre took part at the lecture marathon “Ideas 2020. A Journey into the World of the Future” organised by HSE jointly with the Polytechnical Museum at DI Telegraph. Despite it being Sunday, a lot of people attended.
The Higher School of Economics hosts the annual academic conference in April. Our institute traditionally organised a special session: “Science and Innovation” (see more details about Workshop on cross-border cooperation in the framework of the OECD’s Knowledge Triangle and discussion of various tools facilitating international cooperation in the scope of the EU Framework Programme Horizon 2020).
ISSEK hosted a three-day workshop for cluster managers*, which subsequently turned into a conference with participation of policy makers in the field of cluster development.
Good news for students of the Master’s programme “Governance of Science, Technology and Innovation”: HSE signed partnership agreements with five leading international universities on dual diplomas and student exchanges. An Open Day for the programme was held in mid-April.
What do Russians think about a career in science? ISSEK presented results of the Monitoring Survey of Innovative Behaviour of the Population (spoiler: the majority don’t believe it would be the best career choice for their children, yet.)
Particularly many scientific publications were published.
First, two reports on the state of information society: development trends in Russian regions* and population’s demand for ICT* .
Second, two data books (Information Society Indicators in the Russian Federation: 2015* and Indicators of Innovation in the Russian Federation: 2015*).
Third, “Tax Incentives for Science and Innovation in Russia: Practices and Studies”*, in the series “Empirical Research”.
And finally, there was a very successful presentation of the third issue of the “Russian Regional Innovation Development Ranking”. During the whole year, it was excessively cited by federal and regional media.
HSE ISSEK based Russian Cluster Observatory acted as an intellectual partner of the Federal Economic Forum Russian Cluster Week.
Opportunities for cooperation between European and Russian competence centres were discussed at a workshop hosted by HSE.
The concept of System for Monitoring and Foresight of S&T in the Russian Energy Sector was presented by ISSEK Foresight Centre Director Alexander Sokolov at the III Russian International Energy Forum in St. Petersburg.
At a meeting at the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, the Inter-Departmental Commission on Technology Foresight presented the organisational concept and implementation plan for the National Technology Initiative*. The meeting was attended by Leonid Gokhberg, HSE First Vice-Rector and ISSEK Director. Here’s the video* with his comments on how HSE could contribute to the NTI implementation.
Alexander Chulok, deputy director of ISSEK Foresight Centre, shared his ideas on what we could expect in the next 20 years and how to get ready for it in his lecture delivered in the framework of the “University Open to the City: HSE at Gorky Park” project .
The future is fragile. The news* about the sudden death of our young colleague Maxim Afanasyev, researcher at the Foresight Centre, was a big shock.
What Russian pilot clusters spend their money on?* The answer can be found in the joint report by HSE and the Russian Ministry of Economic Development.
Applications for ISSEK Master’s programme were accepted from early June to mid-July.
The Springer publishing company shared the statistics on the book “Science, Technology and Innovation Policy for the Future. Potentials and Limits of Foresight Studies” edited by Dirk Meissner, Leonid Gokhberg and Alexander Sokolov. Since its release in 2013, it had passed the threshold of 9500 downloads at the Springer website (now it's almost 12000 downloads).
Also, we had guests from Brazil’s Center for Strategic Studies and Management in Science, Technology and Innovation (CGEE) and discussed plans for joint work.
The government approved the rules for conducting and adjusting Russian S&T Foresight*, developed with active participation of the Higher School of Economics’ experts.
New methodological guidelines for designing Innovation Development Programmes for state-owned companies updated by the Russian Ministry of Economic Development jointly with the Open Government and with participation of HSE were discussed, with the conference room full beyond capacity (the new HSE conference centre at 9/11 Myasnitskaya St.).
ISSEK organised a week-long training course for members of Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology, based on the curriculum for top-level government managers responsible for science, technology and innovation.
Two staff members of ISSEK Foresight Centre were invited to teach at the annual Foresight courses at the University of Manchester (UK), considered among the most prestigious and important ones in the field of futures studies.
A new colleague, David Sarpong, the programme lead for the Bristol MSc International Management at the University of the West of England (UK) specialising in strategic foresight, joined the Research Laboratory for Science and Technology Studies as a part-time research fellow.
Two important publications came to light: data book Science and Technology Indicators in the Russian Federation: 2015* and analytical report “Civil Shipbuilding: 2030. Foresight Study”*.
The funding parties met at the Saint Petersburg State University to discuss multilateral research projects to be funded in the framework of the 'ERA.NET Plus with Russia', an initiative supported under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7). Elena Nasybulina, leading expert of the National Contact Point (NCP) for the international mobility of researchers at HSE ISSEK, made a presentation.
The Kommersant-Money magazine started a series of articles on future technologies and their impact on the economy and social development. The Futurenomics* section started off with a dialogue on the health sector’s development prospects between Foresight Centre’s researchers Alexander Chulok and Ruslan Saygitov, the magazine’s economics editor Maxim Kvasha, and correspondent Alexander Zotin.
In the scope of the “University Open to the City: HSE at Gorky Park” project Konstantin Fursov, senior researcher at the Laboratory for Economics of Innovation, delivered a lecture on how social perception of innovations was changing. The lecture’s topic was telling: “How innovation has turned from being a crime into a success formula”*.
State-owned companies innovate without being pushed: that was the gist of the new analytical report prepared by HSE jointly with the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and the Russian Venture Company.
ISSEK experts Mikhail Goland and Evgeny Kutsenko took part in the meeting of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development Commission to select Russian regions’ applications for investments in innovative territorial clusters’ projects in 2015.
An online discussion on promotion of R&D results* was hosted at STRF.ru portal for a week. Elena Gutaruk, editor of ISSEK website, took part in it.
How is Russians’ scientific literacy changing? After five years of observations, the ISSEK researchers within the Monitoring Survey of Innovative Behaviour of the Population study were able to identify a certain change. Russians now find it easier to answer secondary school-level questions, though more complex ones still baffle many of them.
How does the “meter impact” affect ecological practices? What does actually prompt Russians to adopt a more environmentally conscious lifestyle? These were among the issues analysed in theframework of the Monitoring Survey of Innovative Behaviour of the Population study.
The first interactive cluster platform was created in Russia. It was designed by the Russian Cluster Observatory to collect data about all cluster initiatives in the country. So far only 26 clusters out of those included in the Russian Ministry of Economic Development list are visible on the federal level, but in reality there’re many more of them.
A delegation of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan (MOST) visited HSE to discuss various cooperation options with leading ISSEK experts.
Nicholas Vonortas, Professor of Economics and International Affairs at the George Washington University (USA), joined ISSEK’s Research Laboratory for Science and Technology Studies team. Here, he will contribute to the advancement of foresight methodologies, STI policy studies, conference planning and ISSEK Master’s programme curriculum, and more.
How quickly the Internet proliferates in Russia* and what factors affect this process, was revealed (via infographics) by experts from ISSEK Centre for Statistics and Monitoring of Information Society.
Institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences will soon have divisions responsible for priority setting and identification of key S&T development trends. Members of these new teams attended the S&T Foresight in Russia conference* during the Open Innovation Forum. Alexander Sokolov, director of ISSEK Foresight Centre, commented on major national-level projects and approaches in this field.
Leading ISSEK researchers took part in the open lectures programme of the V All-Russian Science Festival NAUKA 0+.
The report “The Water Sector: Global Challenges and Long-Term Innovation Development Trends”* was published, presenting results of the foresight study conducted by the institute with information and financial support by the Renova Group of Companies.
Georgia Institute of Technology (GeorgiaTech) organised the Global TechMining Conference and the Atlanta Conference on Science and Innovation Policy. Ozcan Saritas, Nadezhda Mikova and Pavel Bakhtin, researchers at HSE ISSEK Foresight Centre, took part in conferences with the presentation of their own research.
Every five years, UNESCO publishes a report on the development of science. The chapter on Russia for the new 830-page publication was prepared by Leonid Gokhberg, HSE First Vice-Rector, and Tatiana Kuznetsova, Director of the Centre for S&T, Innovation and Information Policies.
The V Annual International Academic Conference “Foresight and STI Policy” was hosted by HSE, supported by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organisation (APEC) and the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. More than 20 countries were presented at the conference. Records of all discussions, reviews of some of the presentations, and videos with participants’ comments are available at the conference’s website. We recommend following the news — the conference traditionally leaves a rich legacy.
The Public Council of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade discussed various issues associated with providing government support to industrial clusters*. Leonid Gokhberg, HSE First Vice-Rector, made a presentation.
The Russian Science Citation Index project was officially launched: the best Russian scientific journals, including Foresight and STI Governance and 13 more HSE journals, were made available as a separate database on the Web of Science platform.
ISSEK team has joined the OECD/Eurostat project on revision of the Oslo Manual and contributed to the discussion on the actual issues of innovation and technology measurement at OECD NESTI/Eurostat Scoping Workshop in Oslo (Norway).
Cluster policy was discussed in terms of Russian clusters’ cooperation with French competitiveness poles*, and bringing clusters’ development objectives closer to the National Technology Initiative goals* (at the Sochi forum “Innovation Ecosystem”).
After five years, new members of the Russian Foundation for the Humanities Board* were appointed, among them Leonid Gokhberg, HSE First Vice-Rector and ISSEK Director.
During the year, 4 issues of Foresight and STI Governance journal were published in Russian and in English, as well as technological trends reviews*, data books (in particular, pocket data books on STI and education in English), business climate reviews (in Russian), and other publications.
We’d like to thank all our colleagues, partners, and friends, who helped to make 2015 so rich in events and results!
Hopefully, 2016 will be even more interesting!