News

Foresight and STI Policy are among the symposium topics of the XXIII Yasin International Academic Conference. How has foresight developed in Canada? How did academic life change during the pandemic? What can early-career foresight researchers expect? The HSE News Service discussed these questions with Jonathan Calof, one of the symposium’s speakers.

The HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation and Rosstat, has released new pocket data book in the ‘Digital Economy’ series. The publication presents a wide range of indicators describing the state and dynamics of the digital economy development in Russia. For some indicators, international comparisons are available, and for the first time a section on the children and teenagers’ engagement in the digital environment is included.

Professor Dirk Meissner has been working at the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge since 2011. He is the head of International Laboratory for Economics of Innovation, academic supervisor of Master’s Programme ‘Governance of Science, Technology and Innovation’, coordinator of book series ‘Science, Technology and Innovation Studies’ published jointly with Springer and a number of HSE pre-prints in the field of STI. During the ten years of his work at the University, Professor Meissner made a considerable contribution to developing scientific and educational potential of the HSE University in raising its international reputation in these areas. We have the greatest respect for our esteemed colleague and congratulate him on this anniversary!

Domestic and foreign policies of leading countries reveal an ever more outstanding science and technology agenda. The participants of the XI International Academic Conference ‘Foresight and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy’, conducted on October 15–25, 2021, reviewed new aspects of doing joint R&D projects that the countries have considered and ways of securing competitive advantages of national science through strengthening ties with both businesses and authorities and engaging a wider audience.

Volume of R&D funding and number of Scopus-indexed publications of the BRICS countries in total already exceed those of the EU-total and the United States. These metrics have opportunity for further growth if the five developing countries strengthen scientific cooperation with other countries from Global South that have significant growth potential. Researchers from the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge Alexander Sokolov, Sergey Shashnov, and Maxim Kotsemir analysed the opportunities for research collaboration within these clusters of countries along with the obstacles standing in the way of greater cooperation.

Gadgets have been gaining strong, and different, influence over the daily tasks of Russians: on the one hand, they reinforce our connectedness to the world during the harshest lockdown, on the other — the contact between real individuals or even generations is getting weaker. Robots help automate routine tasks, as well as learn how to make rather autonomous decisions, and yet it is unclear, who should be responsible for those decisions. The XI International Academic Conference ‘Foresight and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy’, conducted online on October 15–25, 2021, started with a comprehensive analysis studying the social effects of digitalisation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated our swift adaptation to big challenges and strengthened cooperation ties between researchers, politicians, and entrepreneurs on national and global levels. The accumulated life and goal setting practices in the new reality will be discussed on October 15–26, 2021 by participants of the XI International Academic Conference ‘Foresight and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy’ organised by the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK).

Russia has improved its position in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021, ranking 45th among 132 economies and closing the distance to leading countries thanks to better performance in all areas of research, innovation, and creative activities. For the past several years, the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) at HSE University has provided advice on the research underlying the index. This year, ISSEK became one of the nine members of the GII Academic Partners Network.