Journal of the National Research University Higher School of Economics

In many countries Centres of Excellence (CoEs) are regarded as efficient tools of STI policy and play a significant role in anti-crisis policy mixes. How can CoEs be managed, supported and evaluated? CoEs were the focus of discussions held at early April under the thematic section «Global Trends in Public R&D Investments – Designing, Establishing and Operating Centers of Excellence» which took place in the framework of the XIV HSE International Academic Conference on Economic and Social Development. Presentations were made by speakers from the OECD, University of Ottawa (Canada), KISTEP (Korea), DFG (Germany), Centre for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-term Forecasting, HSE and other organizations. The participants discussed theoretical issues, country practices, and patterns of developing CoEs, and ways to adapt best international practice to the Russian context.

Development of the science sector was touched upon by the round table “Monitoring Economics of Science: Principal Results and Future Outlook” – another event held by the HSE ISSEK in the framework of the April Conference. ISSEK scholars presented outputs of the large-scale study aimed at establishing the system of collecting, processing and analyzing data that characterize economic trends in diverse sectors of R&D performance in Russia – government, business enterprise and higher education. Statistical research undertaken in the framework of this project was in many respects uniquenot only fordomestic but alsofor the world practice. The focus was on the resourcebase oforganizations engaged in R&D,the outputs of their STI activities, cooperation linkages, technology transfer processes, and the technological level of productionin enterprises. The project was also regarded as a base for testing the new tools for public statistics particularly related to measurement of unobservable R&D activities.