Monitoring the Tools of Financial Support Available to Young Researchers in Russia

Introduction. Human resources potential is one of the most important tools for achieving the objectives included in the key programme documents for the development of science and technology in the Russian Federation and the main element in the research and development resources of the state. Human resources potential is fundamentally made up of researchers employed in science and technology, including young researchers. Even though in recent years the government of Russia has been paying a lot of attention to developing mechanisms to attract and support young researchers in the sciences, we are still seeing a decline in their number, including in the number of researchers aged 39 or younger. The article presents the findings of tools for monitoring the financial support available to young researchers, recipients of scholarships and grants from the president of Russia, as well as grants provided by key research foundations. Monitoring Tools. The main monitoring tool is formal logic methods such as classification, analysis, synthesis, deduction, and induction. The monitoring was conducted using the materials published on the official websites of research foundations, the annual reports of said foundations, as well as other information in the public domain. The monitoring covered 42 foundations and 8 federal regulatory acts. The subject of the study was the financial tools for supporting young researchers, specifically the grants and scholarships of the president of the Russian Federation and major research foundations such as the Russian Research Foundation, the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises, and the Skolkovo Foundation, as well as state-funded programmes aimed at supporting young researchers; the findings of the monitoring are summed up in consolidated tables. Results. The support system for grant recipients spans all age categories of young researchers. Meanwhile, federal programmes offer a broader range of assistance to students, postgraduate students, and young researchers than to candidates and doctors of sciences. The most common types of assistance are grants and scholarships, while prizes are not as common. Regional and industrial foundations for assisting research, development, and innovation only function in some regions of the Russian Federation. Programmes aimed at supporting research activities are offered by regional and industry foundations through their official websites and are widely varied (the most common offerings include competitions, training programmes, organisation of conferences, exhibitions, forums, as well as special prizes and grants). Conclusion. Thus, the article provides information about the existing system of grants aimed at providing support and assistance to young researchers; the article also offers some information about the conditions, amounts, and timeframe for the provision of the scholarships and grants from the President of the Russian Federation; there is also a review of the tools for assisting young researchers in the context of such recipients’ status, as well as the forms and types of assistance (including for young researchers) provided by industry and regional foundations for research, development, and innovation.