Research & Expertise

On January 28, HSE and the Korea-Russia Science and Technology Cooperation Centre (KORUSTEC) jointly hosted a Korean-Russian Open Lecture on Science and Technology Policy at HSE University in Moscow. Founded in 1990 following a Korean-Russian Cooperation Agreement, KORUSTEC was re-opened in 2007 as the Moscow office of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), bringing together six similar centres in various Russian cities (NRF is similar to the USA’s National Science Foundation).

The new issue of the Foresight and STI Governance journal is devoted to the Future of Energy — the prospects of the global energy sector in the context of the fourth technological evolution and sustainable development strategies.

The pocket data book contains main indicators characterising S&T and innovation potential of the Russian Federation. There are the information about intellectual property, S&T output, data of international comparisons given.

Participants of the workshop 'The Future of Science and Technology in BRICS Countries: Challenges and Responses', the closing event of the 8^th HSE Foresight Conference, shared the five countries’ experience of promoting research cooperation and the results of joint foresight studies.

The social sciences and the humanities are beginning to play an increasing role in technology and innovation studies: it becomes obvious that the long-term social effects of scientific and technological development are important side of it. Similar studies are gaining momentum in Russia. For instance, HSE ISSEK has been measuring public perception of science, technology and innovation indicators in the framework of 'Monitoring the Innovative Behaviour of the Population' for more than 10 years. It latest results were presented by Alena Nefedova at the International scientific-practical conference 'Russian User Studies' (November 29 – December 1, 2018, St. Petersburg).

The National Training Workshop for Technology and Innovation Support Centres’ personnel ended on 29 November, 2018 at the Higher School of Economics; it was organised by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Rospatent, and the Federal Institute of Industrial Property (FIIP), and lasted for three days at various venues. HSE experts presented their approaches to patent analysis, and legal protection of intellectual property. According to the workshop participants, the university’s research in patent statistics and big data analysis (which is playing an increasingly important role in the area) was most impressive, and contributed to extending knowledge horizons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed Decree No. 672 on November 26 “On the creation of an innovation cluster in Moscow,” thus putting in motion an initiative of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin that the Higher School of Economics had played an active role in developing. Throughout the past year, HSE specialists studied the best practices of the world’s innovative megacities, worked with the Moscow government to hold a series of expert discussions on the principles of forming an innovation supercluster, and developed a draft concept establishing guidelines for interactions between potential cluster participants. Over time, the planned supercluster has the potential to embrace Moscow’s entire advanced-technology economy.

The annual meeting of the International Advisory Council of the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge took place on 14 November. This year the Council convened before the “Foresight and STI Policy” conference, so discussions of the ISSEK’s 2018 results, its plans for the next year, and approaches and techniques for studying and foreseeing S&T development occasionally overlapped with the conference agenda. The debates highlighted major trends which could affect relevant policies in the coming years.