Russia: Sharp research output decline

Russia is no longer a world leader in science and intellectual thinking, according to a new report that details a shocking decline in its research output. The Global Research Report on Russia, by Thomson Reuters, reveals that the countrys annual research output has fallen from 29,000 papers in 1994 to 27,600 in 2008. The decline is also apparent in areas where it once excelled, such as the physical sciences.The research base is in trouble but there is little sign of a solution, says the report. Russia has been a leader in scientific research and intellectual thinking for so long that it comes not only as a surprise, but a shock to see that it has a small and dwindling share of world activity as well as real attrition of its core strengths. The report, produced by Evidence, a UK-based subsidiary of Thomson Reuters, is one of a series focusing on the so-called BRIC countries — Brazil, Russia, India and China —which are in the process of advancing to the forefront of the worlds economies. Russia, however, is punching below its weight in terms of research. It has, the report points out, experienced drastic political, economic and intellectual changes since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Budgets for science have fallen sharply, and the countrys scientists as a group are ageing. In October 2009, scores of academics put their names to an open letter to Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, warning of a looming collapse in science. Among the problems they cited were inadequate funding, a lack of strategic planning and a decline in the prestige of science as a profession. Using information on tens of thousands of academic journals held on Thomson Reuters databases, the Global Research Report compares Russias output with that of other nations. Between 2004 and 2008, the country produced about 127,000 papers in all fields of science, which accounted for about 2.6 percent of all papers published in the journals indexed by Thomson Reuters. This figure placed Russia ahead of only one BRIC nation, Brazil, which produced 102,000 papers and recorded a 2.1 percent share. India cranked out 144,000 papers (a 2.9 percent share), while Chinas output, 415,000 papers (an 8.4 percent share), was more than three times Russias. The release of the Thomson Reuters document coincided with an article in International Higher Education, the journal of the Boston College Centre for International Higher Education, reporting that Russias poor showing in world university rankings has stimulated a critical analysis of the current state of higher education and research in the country. Anna Smolentseva, a senior research fellow at Moscow State Universitys Institute for Educational Studies, says that measures have been introduced to help build world-class institutions, including a scheme to designate some as national research universities meriting extra funding and autonomy. (Excerpted and adapted from Times Higher Education) Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp