From science to technologies: new trends of government regulations

The article analyzes latest changes that have occurred in the government policies in leading industrialized countries, related to growing demand for transformative research. On that background, Russia’s potential to follow a similar trend is discussed, and a number of practical steps are suggested for pursuing a policy that increases the wider outcomes of scientific research aimed at the development of own technological basis. The analysis shows that countries are developing measures to strengthen support for transformative research, which deals with fundamental ideas that are developed in response to societal needs in search of possible practical applications. The shifting focus on transformative research reflects the influence of at least two factors. The first is growing pace of technological change. The second is increasing competition among countries for scientific and technological leadership. Accent on transformative research demands changes in organizational structures and mechanisms of support. These changes are evident in developed countries, including creation of new or reforming existing government agencies supporting research and development. In Russia, the trend towards transformative research is not part of political agenda, even though science makes insufficient contribution to technological development. At the same time, there is a potential to increase the impact of science, by directing more state support to medium-sized technological companies. In their development, these companies strongly rely on technological innovations. Article suggests a sequence of steps to strengthen support for transformative research that should lead to increased demand for scientific results by industrial enterprises

Keywords: transformative research, science policy, technological development, regulation, foreign experience, Russia

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