The launch of the National Research Fund, a new algorithm for the attestation of scientific institutions and streamlining of the rules for awarding scientific degrees - these will be the priorities of the work of the National Council for the Development of Science and Technology for the next six months.
These issues were discussed during the meeting of the Minister of Education and Science, head of the Administrative Committee of the National Council Lilia Hrynevych, with representatives of the Scientific Committee of the National Council.
"We need to launch the National Research Fund under the new rules. The law entrusts the National Council with the development of regulations on the National Fund. Only after the approval of this document will it be possible to form its Scientific Council, the Directorate and elect the management, which will collectively allow to start the work of the fund," said Liliya Hrynevych.
She emphasized that great hopes are placed on the National Fund when they talk about the reform of the science funding system. Its main function will be grant support for scientific research and development, both for individual scientists and research universities, scientific centers, and laboratories.
During the meeting, it was also discussed that next year the National Council should begin to perform one of its most important tasks - to prepare and make recommendations regarding the general amount of financing of scientific and scientific and technical activities from the state budget. It is equally important to find the right proportion of the distribution of funds between basic and competitive funding of scientific research. Therefore, proposals to the state budget for 2019 should be prepared taking into account the recommendations of the National Council.
"It is important to understand that when we talk about increasing the funding of science, we have one problem - with proving the effectiveness of the use of funds. Unfortunately, a certain public mistrust has formed, which is transformed into unwillingness to invest in inefficient public institutions. We need to show how we will change management in science, determine priority research for the state, and make funding dependent on performance indicators of scientific institutions. When the Prime Minister's meeting with representatives of the scientific community was extended, Volodymyr Groysman clearly explained: the state is ready to increase funding for science, but only if a real plan for changes is presented from the main stakeholders who receive the largest amounts of budget support," Liliya Hrynevych said.
As for the new Procedure for state certification of scientific institutions, it was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in July this year. This document stipulates that the results of the activities of scientific institutions will be evaluated not by the Ministry and the Presidium of the Academies of Sciences, but by independent expert groups. If it turns out that the institution works inefficiently, it will have to be reorganized or liquidated, and vice versa - in the case of a positive assessment, the amount of support will be increased.
Currently, the Ministry of Education and Culture has a working group on the preparation of methods and criteria for evaluating scientific institutions, to which it was also agreed to include members of the Scientific Committee of the National Council.
A separate working group will be created in the National Council to streamline the process of awarding scientific degrees. It should develop a single system document on the rules for obtaining academic degrees.
