The 21st century is a century of outstanding technologies and unbelievable innovations and creating such innovations is a profession of tomorrow! Science became a sphere where talented young people can find ourselves and grow successfully. Today Russia has taken a course on innovation breakthrough. The national project "Science and Universities" is implementing in accordance with the Order of the President of Russian Federation from May, 7, 2018 No. 204 "On national priorities and strategic tasks of development of Russian Federation until 2024" and with another Order from July, 21, 2020 No. 474 "On national purposes of development of Russian Federation until 2030". Its key role is to education and support of new generation of scientists that are able to make great discoveries.

Within the "Science and Universities" national project our country allocate huge means for support of young scientists and making scientific centers with the best conditions for the research. Besides, we carry out activities on construction and modernization of research fleet, improvement of digital infractructure and making comfortable conditions for pupils, students, scientists and teachers.

The "Science and Universities" national project includes four federal projects:

Improvement of human capital for Research and Development (R&D)

Task: improve the attractivity of Russian science and education for the leading Russian and foreign scientists, young investigators and students. Acitivities were directed to:

  1. providing an accessibility of higher education;
  2. creating balanced system of personnel reproduction for R&D;
  3. improvement of qualification level of governing personnel in science and higher education.

In 2024:

  • 362 500 bugdet positions will be allocated for full-time education on Bachelor and Master programmes;
  • 35 250 foreign citizens will be involved in education by means of olympiads and competitions;
  • 7 500 scientific projects on priority areas of R&D;
  • 7 000 grants were issued to PhD students for implementation of R&D projects;
  • 950 employees of scientific and educational organizations will be additionally trained;
  • 900 young people laboratories will be created;
  • 800 leaders of scientific and educational organizations - educational reverse;
  • 600 programmes of internal academic mobility based on tasks of spatial development of Russian Federation and development of priority territories;
  • 500 subsidiaries will be issued for programmes of increasing qualifications of scientists and teachers in the area of intellectual property rights defense;
  • 300 supported scientific projects and research in areas of socio-political sciences;
  • 156 world level laboratories;
  • 15 centers of development of competence of leaders of scientific and R&D projects and laboratories within the Research and Educational Centers (REC).

Improvement of huge scientific and R&D projects on Priority areas of economic development.

Task: development of huge scientific and R&D projects on priority research areas. Activities were directed to:

  1. achievements of significant results for priorities of R&D development strategy of Russia;
  2. improvement of attractivity of Russian science and education at the expense of creating world and regional theme centers.

In 2024:

  • 750 Russian scientific journals will be included to the international knowledge databases (WEB of Science или Scopus, WEB of Science и Scopus).
  • 238 sea expeditions on research ships;
  • 42 activities in region of synchrotrone and neutron research were state-supported;
  • 35 selection-seed-growing and selection-breeding centers;
  • 35 technology transfer centers and 16 world-class centers were state-supported;
  • 30 annual subscriptions to scientific journals, citation databases in the Internet;
  • 25 activities of development of genetic technologies and 11 regional scientific and educational mathematic centers were state-supported;
  • 24 centers of National technological initialive were created and supported;
  • 19 actrivities for involvement of Universities in creation of the ecosystem of  student R&D enterpreneurship;
  • 5 huge world-leading scientific projects were state-supported;
  • 4 international world-class mathematic centers;
  • Network from 3 bio-resource centers;
  • 3 world-class genome research centers (consortiums) were state-supported;
  • A legal act on creating and development of argicultural, biological and technological parks was elaborated;
  • International scientific research on unique "megascience" scientific equipment - the International center of Neutron research on the base of high-flow PIC reactor and in Complex of superconducting rings on colliding beams of heavy ions (NICA).
  • Development in integrative processes in science, higher education and industry (INTEGRATION).

Task: enforcing of means for stimulation and development of unities of higher education organizations and organizations in the real sector of economics. The activities will be directed to:

  1. creating of world-class integrative scientific and educational and R&D structures;
  2. improvement of the regional systems of higher education and science at the expense of consolidation of resources, interested sides, including regions.


In 2024:

Support of R&D cooperation of 104 higher education organizations, scientific organizations and R&D companies for implementation of projects on creating of high-technological industries.

  • 102 universities were supported for organization of university groups - national leaders for:
    • organization of scientific, technological and personnel supply of economics and social sphere;
    • improvement of global competitionless of the higher education system;
    • support for the regional development.
  • 15 world-class scientific and educational centers;
  • A network consisting from 8 specialized scientific and educational scientific centers on preparation of high-quality personnel based on leading universities;
  • Legal base for implementation of strategic leadership programme "Priority-2030";
  • Method of evaluation of percentage of employed graduates of higher education oragnizations;
  • Mechanisms of allocation and evaluation of out-of-budget sources of financial support to the R&D area.

Improvement of infractructure for scientific research and personnel training.

Задача: supplement of advanced infrastructure for the research. Activitives are directed to:

  1. update of equipement base for leading scientific organizations;
  2. continuing of creating of "megascience"-class equipments;
  3. building and improvement of scientific fleet;
  4. improvement of digital infractructure of science and education;
  5. providing comfortable facilities for students and teachers.


In 2024:

  • 19 engineering centers;
  • 13 complexes of digital services and solutions in science and higher education;
  • 5 active scientific ships were improved: «Academician Nikolay Strakhov», «Academician Sergei Vavilov», «Academician M.A. Laventiev», «Academician Mstislav Keldysh» and «Academician Ioffe»;
  • 2 new scientific ships for unrestricted nagivation region;
  • updated infractructure and equipment base for leading organizations;
  • improved level of technical equipment in scientific research and R&D;
  • financial support for development of National Investigatory Computer Network of New Generation for the leading scientific and educational organizations;
  • universal "megascience"-class scientific equipment of CKU "SKIF" with 6 experimental stations.
  • unique "megascience"-class experimental equipment placed on Russkiy island in Far-East Federal District.
  • research stations of International Center of Neutron Research based on high flow PIK reactor;
  • development of electronic study and remote educational programs in higher education and additional professional education.
  • Kurchatov's specialized source of synchrotrone emission "KISI-Kurchatov";
  • scientific and educational medical center of nuclear medicine based on Scientific Research Center "Kurchatov Institute";
  • information and analytic system of operative monitoring and evaluation for technical equipment of research in genetic technologies;
  • Improved experienced industry in SRC "Kurchatov Institute".

Questions and Answers

What is Research Educational Centers (REC) and why do they need?

A world-class scientific and educational Center (REC) is an association supported by a subject of the Russian Federation, without the formation of a legal entity, of organizations engaged in educational activities under educational programs of higher education and additional professional programs, and (or) scientific organizations with organizations operating in the real sector of the economy, and operating in accordance with the program of the center's activities

What is competence for the World-leading Research Centers?

A world-class scientific and educational Center (REC) are differed by types and created for organization of outstanding research that are primarily fundamental and exploratory. Such research are directed to solution of tasks related to the world level of actuality and significance. They are claimed to unite scientific potential of leading universities for solution of huge economic and scientific goals, scientific organizations and real-sector companies.

What support can young scientists receive?

At the federal level there is a system of different support means for the young scientists who carry out perspective research on perspective directions of R&D developments and modernization of Russian economics . Such means include financial, social and professional support. The financial support includes Presidential grants for young PhD and D.Sc., presidential and governmental fellowships for young scientists and PhD students, as well as grants supplied by foundations that support scientific, R&D and innovation activity. The social support is connected with problems of living facilities for the young scientists. The professional support is connected with creation of world-class scientific and R&D centers as well as launch of "Development of advanced infrastructure for carrying out research and developments in Russian Federatrion" federal project that is directed to upgrade of equipment base.

What are engineering centers?

Development of cooperation between science and leading Russian companies is a key role of "Science and Universities" national project. Engineering centers play an important role in commercialization of scientific research and development, as well as, in they tranfer to the real sector of economics. Thanks to the engineering centers, they effectiveness of carrying out scientific and educational activity was increased, the area of fundamental and applied research was extended. Creation of engineering centers allows to provide commercialization and access to the market for the R&D results as well as to accelerate the import substitution process.

What tasks are realized within the infractructure development?

One of the purposes of this national project is creation of the leading infractructure for scientific research including improvement of equipment for leading research organizations, as well as creation of unique "megascience" equipment. Besides this, building and modernization of scientific fleet, improvement of digital infractructure, making comfortable facilities for pupils, students, scientists and teachers was also planned.

What is "Priority 2030" programme?

The "Priority 2030" is a programme for the state support for Russian universities. Its purpose is to create hundreds of advanced modern educational organization by 2030 - centers of R&D and socio-economical development of the country. The programme is directed towards the increase in competitorship of Russia in education, science and technologies. It also supports contribution of young scientists in archievement of national goals of development of Russia by 2030.