18 May 2004 18:33
Russian premier says government to fund "worthwhile" scientific projects
[Presenter] The development of a national innovation system was the main theme of the general assembly of the Russian
Academy of Sciences, which was held today in Moscow.
It was stressed at the assembly that the academy's main task is to identify priorities for the development of
science, which will subsequently be exploited in the economy. Another task is the formation of a national information
infrastructure, which should help to expedite the application of science in the country's economy.
The meeting was attended by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. He called on the academics to put forward key
objectives for Russian science, saying that the government was prepared to fund worthwhile projects.
[Fradkov] The demands of the economy for scientific research really dictate the choice of priorities, the choice of
scientific projects attractive for investors. And in this regard, we have asked and the government has asked the Academy
of Sciences to come forward with an initiative and to come up with priorities for scientific research, to identify, if
you like, at the highest level, national projects for key technologies, so that this complex of projects and areas of
activity form part of the programme aimed at supporting the technological level for the development of the economy.
The government has made an undertaking and we will work on this, and we will fund these projects in the appropriate
way.
[Channel One TV] |
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