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On February 8, Russian Science Day, the Higher School of Economics, along with the Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) and the Ministry of Education and Science, released its annual statistical data book on the state of science, technology, and innovation. Below, the Director of the HSE ISSEK and HSE First Vice Rector Leonid Gokhberg discusses how research on science in Russia is advancing.

Russia’s state-controlled push for innovation is widely discussed, but has had little real impact. “The Diplomat” quotes the findings of the HSE researchers from the chapter on Russia's innovation system “How to Design a National Innovation System in a Time of Global Innovation Networks: A Russian Perspective” published in “The Global Innovation Index 2016” report.

The RF Ministry of Agriculture approved the findings of the S&T Foresight Study for the Agricultural Sector 2030 conducted jointly with HSE. Preliminary results were reviewed at a meeting of the Government Commission on the Agricultural Sector and Sustainable Development of Rural Areas chaired by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on 13 December, 2016. Leonid Gokhberg, HSE First Vice Rector and ISSEK Director, comments on how realistic the scenarios included in the study are, what Russia should be preparing to, and how HSE is helping to advance the Russian agriculture.

of the fundings are spent on technical sciences in Russia. These data were published in the newsletter "The budget allocation for scientific researches and inventions" in the HSE ISSEK "Science, Technology, Innovations" series (in Russian).

In order to measure the extent of Internet spread in the Russian Federation​, experts of HSE ISSEK Centre for Statistics and Monitoring of Information Society developed a concept for statistical monitoring on request of the ANO “The Coordination Center for TLD RU”. The paper presents conceptual, methodological, and organisational frameworks for the study.

Bloomberg: Russian consumer demand, which came undone quickly during a recession, will take time to put together again. The pieces don’t fit because households continue to embrace thrift even as the ruble tests new highs and inflation at the slowest in history boosts purchasing power. HSE ISSEK Centre for Business Tendency Studies poll results showed the financial situation worsened for 39 percent of respondents in the past 12 months. The agency quotes Georgy Ostapkovich, the director of the Centre.

CEOs of travel companies complain about lack of demand. Over half of the CEOs of travel companies and hotels say that the lack of demand is the key factor which limits their development. These data were presented in information and analytical material “Business climate in service sector in 4Q 2016”, prepared by HSE ISSEK Centre for Business Tendency Studies.

In the Bloomberg's ranking of the world's 50 most innovative countries, Russia is on the 26th place, and it lost ground heavily (by 14 points) in comparison with other countries. Vitaliy Roud (research fellow, Laboratory for Economics of Innovation, HSE ISSEK) commented the Bloomberg Innovation Index which includes a small proportion of indicators Global Innovation Index (GII) on RBC TV.