RFF: amendments to the budget did not pass

On November 24, 2010, the State Duma adopted the draft law “On the federal budget for 2011 and for the planning period of 2012 and 2013.” In the third reading and presented him to the Federation Council. This was preceded by the second reading of the budget, which was discussed on November 19, which discussed amendments to the draft law on the budget. The amendment of the deputy Boris Kashin, who proposed increasing the funding of the Russian Federation by 1 billion rubles. Already in 2011, it was rejected (see below the excerpt from the transcript of the meeting of the Duma on November 19, 2010 below).

Although the amendment to the budget has been rejected, the activity of the scientific community still gives certain fruits: not only in an interview with the leaders of the Ministry of Education and Science (see the release of the TRV-Science No. 67 of November 23, 2010), but the discussions in the Duma mention 2200 scientists and it is said about the possibility of increasing the financing of the Russian Federation in the future. Ready to consider and discuss such proposals and the Ministry of Finance. The Council of Duma on Science and High -High Technologies did not represent its own amendments, but - according to one of the answers to the appeals of scientists - at the meeting on November 3, he supported the amendment to the draft budget law, which provides for an increase in financing the RFFIF. In the reception of the Chairman of the Committee Valery Chereshnev , I was assured that the committee was concerned about the situation with funding of the funds and would consider this issue.

Of course, it is not worth it to deceive the words of government officials: bureaucratic memory will easily give a girl’s headlight when it comes to fulfilling the promises expressed. Both the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education and Science can easily “forget” about the intention to increase the budget of funds. This can be judged at least by the inconsistency that the Minister of Education and Science Andrei Fursenko shows in his interview. In an interview with Echo of Moscow, a minister spoke about the increase in the budget of the RFFIF1 a month ago: “Here, I can say that the first thing I consider absolutely effective and correct is just stock funding. And my point of view is that the size of the funds must be increased. And moreover, I proposed some options to the Ministry of Finance and will continue to offer. I believe that we will succeed due to certain redistributions of funds next year compared to six billion, the minimum figure, increase the amount of financing these funds, and the RSNF and the RFFI. Well, it would seem to me that a reasonable figure today is at least 8-9 billion, ” andrei Fursenko further said that the last figure belongs to the Russian budget. And a month later, in an interview with Kommersant, the minister, answering the question of the requirements of scientists to increase the budget of the RFFIF, said 2: “Of course, we must increase the allocated funds. But due to what? We cannot increase the state budget due to economic circumstances. ” It turns out that a month ago, Andrei Fursenko knew how to increase the budget of the RFFI by one and a half times, and now it has become a mystery. Although scientists directly indicate sources: money for the RFFI can be allocated due to a certain reduction in financing, for example, FCP for research and development, which is planned to be increased three times next year (by 14 billion rubles).

Therefore, it is extremely important to continue the pressure on the authorities: speeches in the media, appeals in all influences of the acceptance of the instance budget - the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education and Science, the State Duma, the Presidential Administration, etc.

In addition to financing the fund, there are other reasons for concern. In the transcript below, one passage is noteworthy: the chairman of the Committee on Budget and Taxes , Yuri Vasiliev, noted: “Even this year, when submitting reasonable proposals to increase the expenses of the RFFIFI, these proposals may be considered by the main manager during the execution of the budget, that is, if the main manager desired, they can redirect these financial resources.” At first glance, the statement is quite strange: the RFFI is the main manager of budget funds. The fact, however, is that another bill is now being discussed (it is approved by the Duma in the first reading)-“On Amending the Federal Law“ On Science and the State Scientific and Technical Policy ”and the Tax Code of the Russian Federation in terms of clarifying the legal status of support funds for scientific, scientific, technical and innovative activities”. This bill is designed to resolve the legal status of scientific funds - in connection with the amendments to the Budget Code of the Russian Federation introduced back to 2007, the work of funds in the current form is impossible (in particular, the code establishes that “recipients of budgetary funds are entitled to receive budget allocations and limits of budgetary obligations only from the main manager of budget funds, which they are in charge”, and the Russian Federation and the Russian Federation and the Russian Federation and the Russian Federation and the Russian Federation and the Russian RGNF do not have subordinate organizations).

Scientists proposed to adopt such amendments to the Budget Code that would record the possibility of RFFIF and RGNF to continue to work in the same mode. However, the Ministry of Education and Science has followed the path of least resistance: it proposes to deprive the status of the main managers of budget funds: “State funds are state budgetary institutions,” the bill discussed by the Duma discussed by the Duma. This in the United States, the National Scientific Fund has a fairly high status, its leadership is appointed by the president and approved by the Senate, and the RFFIE will become a budget institution - almost like a library or a culture house - unlike, say, Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University, which are the main administrators of the budget.

Such an institution of the Ministry of Education and Science will allocate subsidies (or not to allocate; increase or reduce their size), and the institution, in turn, will issue grants “based on the results of the competition with the mandatory examination of the relevant applications”. It is unlikely that with such a status it will be easy to fix interest on civil research and development of funds. In general, some decrease in the bureaucratic status of funds and the ambiguity with the procedure for the formation of their governing bodies will require even greater efforts from the scientific community in order to defend their performance and legal capacity.

1 www.echo.msk.ru/ programs/exit/721947-echo/

2 www.kommersant.ru/ doc.aspx? Docsid = 1548732

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From the transcript of the meeting of the State Duma on November 19, 2010, a discussion of amendments to the draft federal law “On the federal budget for 2011 and for the planning period of 2012 and 2013.”

Chairman (Morozov O.V.):

So, we proceed to the discussion. Deputy Kashin Boris Sergeevich. Amendment No. 6. Turn on the microphone.

Kashin B. S.: Dear deputies, the amendment is due to the fact that the budget funds provided for the Russian Fundamental Research Foundation in 2012 and 2013 are cut by 30% compared to the current year.

The amendment involves increasing the budget of the RFFI in 2011 by 1 billion rubles. Compared to the current year and save these numbers in 2012 and 2013. The Minister of Finance Kudrin during a meeting with the Communist Party faction instructed to work out this issue, but the result was zero.

Two problems are associated with this amendment.

First. The government is conducting an illiterate scientific and technical policy, and here the Ministry of Finance is not to blame, it fulfills the instructions that the government gives and does not look at the fact that 2200 scientists turned to the government with a request to maintain financing the RFFIF, because they consider this the most effective form of support for science. What to do here, I do not know, all legal forms of struggle seem to be exhausted.

And the second problem is already related to the Ministry of Finance. Deputy Minister Tatyana Gennadievna Nesterenko, speaking on the Budget Committee, expressed confidence that in a year financing of the Russian Fundamental Research Fund would be increased. A very good statement, but the question arises: why is this three -year budget then, and why give all these numbers in detail? This is an empty work. Therefore, I have a question: is it not better to enlarge the numbers for 2012-2013, so as not to create unnecessary problems? Thank you.

Chairman: Please, committee.

Vasiliev Yu.V. (Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Budget and Taxes): the Committee considered twice, Boris Sergeyevich, your amendment, you were present, in general, as I understand it, you received complete answers to all your questions at a meeting of the Committee. The only thing I can tell you that, in principle, Tatyana Gennadievna said correctly that even this year, when submitting reasonable proposals to increase the expenses of the RFFIF, these proposals may be considered by the main manager during the fulfillment of the budget, that is, if the main manager desired, they can redistribute these financial resources. And for 2012, yes, you were clearly said that it is supposed to increase the Russian Fund relative to 2010-2011. Therefore, the amendment was rejected.

Chairman: Thank you. Please, Tatyana Gennadievna.

Nesterenko T. G .: Yes. I would like to clarify: 2012, 2013 not reduced. 2011 increased, that is, the amount of funding has been brought to the level of 2010. That is, it would seem, the logic is a little reverse. Indeed, we said that an increase in allocations for 2012 and 2013. We will consider in the next cycle.

As for the question, why then do individual events are accepted in more detail, while we are considering others in the next cycle? Because there are expenses for which obligations are accepted, contracts are accepted. The Russian fund of fundamental research is thus structured from the point of view of competitions in competitions and grants that there are no such long obligations regarding this increase. Therefore, we justified this proposal, and I think that we will definitely consider these issues in the next budget cycle.