Refusal of the decree

On October 18, 2012, the State Duma in the first reading adopted a law on the federal budget for 2013 and the planning period of 2014 and 2015. Scientific funds again found themselves in stepson: despite the presidential decree that orders to increase the financing of scientific funds, their budget is supposed to be ... cut. The situation with the funds is told by a researcher Fian, a member of the Central Council of the Trade Union of RAS Workers Yevgeny Onishchenko .

The Russian Fund for fundamental research (RFFI) and the Russian Humanitarian Scientific Fund (RGNF) are two Russian scientific funds traditionally conducting research on scientific research on the basis of mass competitions in science. Scientists submit their projects to these contests, and the best applications are selected on the basis of a multi -stage independent examination for financing. Thus, there is no problem that often exists in federal target programs when dividing lots with a narrow - often imprisoned for a particular artist - theme: the predetermination of the results of the competition.

A similar scheme for the distribution of grant financing of research work has proved its effectiveness around the world, it works well in Russia. The opinion of scientists on this score is confirmed by objective scientific indicators: despite the fact that financing of research work by the Russian Federation is much less than within the framework of federal targeted programs, it is Russian scientists who are most often referred to as a source of financing for research. According to the most authoritative database on the scientific publications of Web of Science, more than a third of Russian articles in leading scientific journals in the world contain references to support from the Russian Federation.

Despite these obvious facts, scientific funds during the crisis were disgusting: their financing was reduced in absolute figures, while the share of funds in the budget of civil science generally fell almost three times from 2008 to 2011. At the same time, the costs of ineffective financing of research work through federal target programs, where the rules for the distribution of financing were dictated by the law on public procurement, increased sharply.

Scientists defended funds. Mass letters in defense of the Russian Federation and RGNF, hundreds of individual appeals to the State Duma, the Presidential Administration, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Finance, the many articles in the media, the rally on October 13, 2011, which passed under the slogan “Let scientists work!” It seemed that they reached their goal. The Decree of the President of Russia dated May 7, 2012 No. 599 “On measures to implement state policy in the field of education and science” established, it is necessary to ensure an increase in financing of scientific funds, which in 2018 should reach 25 billion rubles. Moreover, during the adjustment of the budget for 2012, the RFFIF was an increase of 2 billion rubles, and the RGNF - at 0.5 billion rubles.

Of course, the increase in funding to the fund in the middle of the year is not the best option for actions. The main competitive cycle has already been completed, and, accordingly, the financing of grants issued in competitions in science regions - those very grants that make up the main meaning of the fund’s activity and which are financed extremely modestly - has already been approved. Therefore, there is a need to hold new competitions and issue several more episodes of grants, for the most part - again small. As a result, instead of the necessary increase in the average size of the main type of grants, their number increases. But subject to a change in attitude to funds, this is still acceptable as a one -time measure.

It would seem - victory. However, it turned out that the government is able to read the presidential decree exactly the opposite. To begin with, when developing a draft law on the federal budget, the authors tried to read it innovative, suggesting that 25 billion rubles. It should not be divided into two, but into three funds-RFFIF, RGNF and the Fund for the Development of Small Forms of Enterprises in the Scientific and Technical Sphere. This contradicts the words of Vladimir Putin himself, who, at the May General Meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explicitly said that it was about the RFFIF and the RGNF. Moreover, these words were subsequently confirmed officially: in response to a request from the trade union of employees of the Russian Academy of Sciences, signed by the assistant to the President of Russia Andrei Fursenko, it is clearly and unequivocally said that decree No. 599 talks about two funds, RFFIF and RGNF.

But if the “confusion” with the number of funds could still be written off for misunderstanding, then the government’s further actions can no longer be attributed to this. It could be expected that funding of funds according to the draft law on the budget would still grow. However, the draft law on the budget for 2013, which was made by the government, presented a surprise: the government proposes to cut out the budgets of both the RFFI and the RGNF in 2013 - for 200 million rubles. every. This already directly contradicts not only common sense, but also documents approved by the President, which seem to be mandatory for the government.

The scientific community has already achieved once a change in attitude to scientific funds, it will achieve once again - the trade union of RAS employees and the Society of Scientists are already working in this direction. It is not clear only why an occasion for a scandal is created from scratch. So far, the budget bill has not yet passed the second reading - ministries have the opportunity to ensure that the RFFIF and RGNF amends through deputies of the Duma be made to increase financing. Then the funds will receive money before summing up the results of the main competitions and will finally begin to increase the size of the main type of grants. Soon we will find out whether the government will take this opportunity or continue to work “as always”.