On How to Improve the Training and Certification of Scientific Staff

ABSTRACT Only highly qualified personnel, especially scientists and specialists, can develop new technologies and solve the complex challenges of a rapidly changing world. The article describes the current state of scientific higher education in Russia, identifies several salient functions of the education system (e.g., awarding degrees, providing scholarships, forming dissertation councils), and considers how these functions can be performed with greater efficiency in order to improve higher education and science. To increase the efficiency of graduate programs in Russia, the Higher Education Commission should be allowed to propose priority areas of scientific research, to assess Russia’s demand for scientists, and to influence scientific education according to the identified priorities. The network of postgraduate and doctoral programs, as well as the formation of dissertation councils, should be revised at the legislative level to better utilize existing resources and direct scientific progress. In addition, it is necessary to improve the public administration of science, to restructure the network of postgraduate and doctoral programs, and to provide government funds for the training of scientific personnel that are demanded by the scientific labor market.