TASS Russian News Agency: Rector of St Petersburg University proposes to develop rules for public access to the infrastructure of state universities
At the meeting of the Council for Science and Education under the President of the Russian Federation, Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, has proposed to develop rules for public access to the infrastructure of state universities. The council is chaired by President Vladimir Putin. The meeting marked the Day of Russian Science.
‘We understand that if St Petersburg University has been provided equipment, the equipment is not the property of the University. This equipment is public. Access to this equipment should be regulated by the relevant regulatory federal acts, rather than my orders. St Petersburg University provides access to this equipment to all state institutions of the Russian Federation. I think that this is how such issues should also be approached in other organisations’, said Nikolay Kropachev.
Ensuring public access will reduce the duplication of purchased equipment, said the Rector of St Petersburg University. He also mentioned the need to develop legislative requirements for conducting expert evaluations and reviews and to bring state universities under the methodological control of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
St Petersburg University provides access to the equipment to all state institutions of the Russian Federation.
‘The Higher School of Economics, St Petersburg University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, and other organisations that are subordinate to the Government of the Russian Federation have the right not to send their work plans to the Russian Academy of Sciences. I think that this benefit should be abolished for the organisations that are subordinate to the Government of the Russian Federation,’ he said. St Petersburg University has sent and will continue to send its plans to the Russian Academy of Sciences for external expert evaluations, he added.
It is important to pay attention to the control over the funds allocated by the Government of the Russian Federation for the development of science, said Nikolay Kropachev. The allocated funds should not be spent within one team, but should be distributed through open competitions. ‘For more than 10 years, St Petersburg University has been holding open competitions. Researchers from Lomonosov Moscow State University and other organisations have been taking part in these competitions. St Petersburg University was allocated funds for the development of St Petersburg University and the implementation of the St Petersburg University Strategic Plan. Almost 1 billion roubles of these funds are implemented not only by the winners from St Petersburg University, but also by researchers from Lomonosov Moscow State University and other organisations in the country,’ he said.
The Rector of St Petersburg University reminded that St Petersburg University will mark its 300th anniversary in 2024. Today, St Petersburg University is actively preparing for the celebration.