Kazakhstan

Government Looking to Lure Home Expatriate Kazakh Scientists

In a speech to the Senate in November, Kazakh Education and Science Minister Bakhytzhan Zhumagulov said that the Kazakh government plans to start repatriating Kazakh scientists and researchers who are working abroad. The minister said that there are currently 125 talented Kazakh scientists and researchers on the list of those whom the government wants to return to Kazakhstan.

“We have drafted a document addressed to the government that proposes ways to bring home Kazakh scientists who left the country at various times and for various reasons,” he said.

Zhumagulov said that Russia and China both have similar programs to bring back their expatriates. Hundreds of thousands of Kazakh citizens left Kazakhstan in the 1990s as a result of the deep economic crisis caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union.

– RFE/RL
November 12, 2010

Russia

Russia Begins Program to Attract Foreign Scientific Talent

The Russian government recently launched an 11-billion-ruble (US$360 million) initiative to attract foreign scientists to Russian universities in order to enhance their international competitiveness. Scientists are being offered research grants expected to range from three million rubles up to 150 million rubles, depending on the projects and tasks of the future researchers.

According to government officials interviewed by University World News, the project is part of a policy aimed at creating an innovation economy in Russia. To make that happen, the government realizes that its universities have to be able to compete with the best in the world for top international researchers and students.

All of the grants are expected to be provided to the universities where the scientists will be based rather than to the scientists. However, universities will only be able to spend the funds with the consent of the leading scientist. Andrei Fursenko, the Minister of Education and Science, said part of the funds has already been allocated and added that the council has already selected 40 scientists who will be given the first six billion rubles. Russian scientists generally support the idea of attracting foreign scholars as well as Russian scientists working abroad, but stress that the right conditions need to be created to allow them to carry out their work.

– University World News
November 14, 2010

Too Many Universities Says the President

The quality of education in Russia has deteriorated, and the country needs to reduce the number of universities and colleges to improve standards, according to a recent statement from President Dmitry Medvedev.

“Higher education has been devalued. We have a huge number of higher educational establishments some of which are worth nothing,” Medvedev said at a meeting with employees of government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta on its 20th anniversary.

The Russian leader said he is not calling for inferior universities to be completely shut down. “They need to either be strengthened or merged with others,” Medvedev said.

– RIA Novosti
November 11, 2010