Perspectives of innovation development viewed by russian scientific and technical elite

Abstract

The author highlights the problem of modernization of Russian society and gives an attempt to look at it through the eyes of those whose professional activity is directly connected to the production of new knowledge and creation of modern high technologies – representatives of scientific and technical elite of Russia. The article investigates the current state of Russia`s scientific potential, social base for modernization (groups and social strata which could become the driving force of the transition to the new model of development), the influence of different government structures on the modernization potential; factors that could improve the situation in Russian science and return its leading positions. The analysis is based on the assessment given by 170 experts that hold the leading positions in different spheres related to high technologies.