Denis Manturov, Dmitry Chernyshenko, and Valery Falkov spoke at the conference "Priority – Technological Leadership."

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –

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A major conference, "Priority – Technological Leadership," was held in Moscow to mark the fifth anniversary of the "Priority-2030" program of state support for Russian universities. This program was launched in 2021 at the initiative of the Ministry of Education and Science. In February 2024, President Vladimir Putin noted in his Address to the Federal Assembly that the program will be extended.

The program's main goal is to transform universities into centers of scientific, technological, and socioeconomic development for the country. Universities are shifting from addressing personnel needs to focusing on research and innovation.

Opening the discussion "Technological Leadership Universities: Challenges and Solutions," First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov described the work of engineering centers, the program for which was launched in 2013. This step has allowed universities to establish sustainable ties with the real economy.

"If we look at the figures, the total funding from the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Industry and Trade for the entire period was less than 10 billion rubles. And the combined revenue of these engineering centers, which operate in 39 regions at technical universities—71 of which have already been established—was over 70 billion rubles. In other words, the government's investment has already paid for itself a hundredfold. And the work isn't over yet; progress continues," the First Deputy Prime Minister stated.

He also noted that when the next round of sanctions against Russia was imposed in 2022, specialists who had already gained sufficient experience working in engineering centers proved to be unique and in demand thanks to reverse engineering. "In other words, timely equipment procurement and the established foundations enabled reverse engineering to save many companies in the industry," Denis Manturov said.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko also spoke at the conference.

"According to President Vladimir Putin's instructions, science spending should increase to 2% of GDP by 2030. According to the Ministry of Economic Development, Russia's nominal GDP will reach 312 trillion rubles by 2030. A simple mathematical calculation: 2% of this amount is 6.2 trillion rubles. This is a colossal figure. It is assumed that approximately 3.5 trillion will be budgetary funds, and extra-budgetary funds should increase by 4.5 times," he stated.

The Deputy Prime Minister reported that civilian R&D conducted with public funds has been digitized in the "Science and Innovation" domain. Services sought after by both researchers and businesses are being created there. He noted the need to improve the ability of research organizations and universities to fulfill R&D orders while taking customer requirements into account as one of the challenges facing universities. "Your task is to become drivers of scientific and technological growth, personnel training, and the development of scientific and technological competencies. These, as well as talented specialists, are already available. Properly structuring this work, identifying bottlenecks, and focusing on technological partners, especially in the region, is, of course, the key to success," said Dmitry Chernyshenko.

Minister of Education and Science Valery Falkov named three main effects of universities' participation in the Priority program.

"The main result is that universities have changed their understanding of themselves and their role in the economy and social sphere. Universities are adopting best corporate management practices, and businesses are now working with them differently," the minister noted.

The second result, the Minister of Education and Science cited, was the unprecedented involvement of businesses and regions in the "Priority" program. Of the 144 billion rubles allocated by the state for the program's implementation over five years, universities attracted 196.8 billion rubles from industry and business, while the regions contributed 19.9 billion rubles. Furthermore, governors note that universities are increasingly becoming key players in the socioeconomic development of their regions.

The third result is the emergence of universities in the country that have truly become universities of technological leadership. These are the universities that transform ideas into concrete products, technologies, and businesses. And industries view them as universities capable of actively participating in technological development.

The addition of Gazprombank as a strategic partner in 2025 strengthened the program and allowed it to attract investment into university projects, not just commissioned R&D. This confirms the viability of the new investment funding logic (adopted in 2025). Gazprombank also announced a grant program to support university technology projects worth 150 million rubles for 2026.

It should be noted that more than 2,000 industrial partners are currently actively participating in the program's implementation, along with universities. These include the state corporations Roscosmos, Rostec, Rosatom, Gazprom, and Russian Railways.

"Priority" is the largest program aimed at developing universities. It involves 141 universities from 56 regions, including medical, pedagogical, transport, military, and creative arts universities. More than 400 consortia and other associations have been created. 1.3 million students are enrolled at participating universities.

The program includes a track for universities in the Far East with special grant conditions. Fourteen universities are participating, partly to address the issue of stemming migration outflow. Student enrollment at universities in the Far East increased from 15,500 in 2022 to 35,400 in 2024. Five universities are part of a separate track for creative universities.

Key figures:

— 30.2 billion rubles have been allocated from the federal budget for the implementation of development programs in 2025.

— Almost every second full-time student—more than 1.3 million people—studies and creates new technological solutions at Priority universities.

— During the program's implementation, more than 500 new laboratories were opened at universities, and more than 1,500 new educational programs were launched.

"Priority" is being implemented in 56 regions, with regional universities accounting for 71%. This program addresses the problem of youth outflow from the regions to larger cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg.

A significant result was the quality of employment for graduates of Priority universities: on average, they receive a starting salary 13.4% higher than graduates of other universities in their region.

As a reminder, starting this year, Priority has embarked on a course toward technological leadership, necessitating a complete overhaul of university development programs. Each participating university included in its development program up to three strategic technology projects, planned for implementation by 2030 and with a long-term horizon of 2036. As a result, more than 280 strategic technology projects were planned across nine priority areas of technological leadership.