Russian Science in New Conditions: Role of International Foundations

Abstract

Scientific elite plays a crucial role in generating new knowledge. In the USSR, socialization of scientific elite used to be phased as follows: an elite Soviet high school — an elite Soviet institution of higher learning — a leading research center in the USSR or a chair at an institution of higher learning. The markers of phases of such selection were a high-school certificate — a diploma with distinction — a Candidate's or Doctor's degree. The selection mechanism suggested, above all, promotion to a group of key personnel at a person's own research center or educational establishment and acquisition of certain administrative functions, followed by election to the USSR Academy of Sciences, which finally attributed a high scientific status to a person. What kind of new developments in this respect have been taking place in Russia over the last decade? In connection with the crisis of the system of school education, part of the higher educational establishments that are qualified to aspire to the role of smithies of elite scientific personnel, are forced to assume, even to a greater extent than before, the functions of an early exposure of talented youth. The leading foreign universities are beginning to play a significant role in shaping up the future scientific elite, thanks to the increasingly large number of Russians going to the West for training and to the system of scholarships for gifted Russian students, etc. Besides the scientific degrees and an official status, grants extended by Russian and foreign foundations as well as orders of the state and commercial sectors play an important role in shaping the potential of a scientific leader. Abilities and skills required for effective fund-raising, i. e. for drafting and submitting grant applications are growing not less (but, probably, more) important than consistent going up the steps of an institute's hierarchy. The hierarchy itself is subject to a rapid breakdown as scientific institutions get fragmented, centrifugal trends in them taking the upper hand, and the main body of researchers becoming not a vertically-oriented unit (laboratory, sector, section that are part of a research institute's organizational structure), but a temporary association of a team of researchers or even a more active work of a single researcher geared to a particular project. A new type of Russian scientist is emerging. This is a person financially independent of institute's administration, more or less regularly visiting his main job for discussions with colleagues... This process is referred to as «atomization» of a scientific search. Virtually, each scientist is on his own, yet is free to attend to several projects at a time. Basically, prejudiced is what is usually regarded as Russia's important competitive edge, i. e. the existence of schools of thought within which future leaders traditionally asserted themselves as individualities. In these conditions, motivation itself of the work of elite scientific personnel changes. First, it is not so much administrative promotion within one's own institution, but, rather, recognition in the world scientific community that becomes a facility making it possible to attract additional financial and other resources for discharging pioneering tasks, i.e. there occurs individualization of vital strategies in science. Second, in connection with a limited choice of options for internal financing, there begins re-orientation to external sources (which includes foreign foundations) as a means of providing conditions for scientific and teaching activity (commercialization of vital strategies in science). Latent segmentation of the sources of financing is under way: scientists with a status and influence (usually, more aged) aspire to budgetary financing and compete with one another for grants extended by Russian scientific foundations, while representatives of the already «grown up» middle-aged generation seek satisfaction in contacts with foreign foundations and other likely foreign sponsors. As a result, there takes place, especially in social sciences, a tangible differentiation of methods, forms and styles of research. How do representatives of the scientific elite themselves appraise the state of Russian science, their opportunities, what do they think about their scientific and professional prospects? And what of those who chose not to return to Russia: what can they say about their choice, do they follow the state of Russian science, do they see any opportunity of coming back? These and some other questions were analyzed in the course of the project. In particular, a questionnaire survey of the former fellows of this major German foundation — the Alexander von Humboldt foundation, who returned to Russia after their fellowship in Germany was over, was carried out (out of 660 persons that represented a universal set, nearly 190 people sent in their responses), also in-depth interviews were taken of those fellows (250 persons, in all), who preferred to stay for a long term or settle in Germany for good (21 interview).