The peculiarities of innovative activity in mechanical engineering

Russian mechanical engineering and especially its scientifi c sector are in deep crisis due to the general economic decline, acute shortage of resources, low quality management of the industry and inappropriate assessment of the role of mechanical engineering in economic development. Advanced development of mechanical engineering provides manufacturing with new strategically signifi cant technical means and technologies during the country’s partial economic isolation, and eventually becomes the main provision for innovative development of the country. As the resources are limited it is necessary to create a comprehensible sciencebased strategy for innovative development of a machine-building enterprise. The strategy ought to be based on a system of technological priorities, scientifi c research trends and developments built on corresponding research and production structures, human resources, scientifi c research and experience. Targeted approach to the distribution of the resources allocated for innovative activity is connected with their being concentrated on the priority projects and developments. Their list should be created according to objective criteria and all the risks and limitations arising. Reindustrialization of the national mechanical engineering within the modern scientifi c and technical environment should be considered as the most important factor and mechanism for strengthening the Russian economy. During the process the limited resources should be wisely distributed between creating new technological trends and restoring lost positions in the global technological environment. It is an extremely vicious policy to provide the country with serious advantages in new technological trends and at the same time deprive it of the basic technologies. The technological side of innovative activity in mechanical engineering is not as well-developed as institutional and fi nancial stimulation mechanisms. One of the reasons for that is lack or insufficient level of guidance documents which regulate certain innovative activity on creating new technologies and improving the existing ones, on fi nding and implementing methods for raising production efficiency by means of new technological solutions.