MOSCOW. Feb 28 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered finding money for the risky defense studies classed neither as fundamental research nor as design and experimental work, Alexander Sergeyev, head of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
"There was an appeal to the president of the country and there is the relevant resolution. Effectively we are talking about the need to identify resources to ensure this work," Sergeyev told journalists at the Federation Council on Wednesday, responding to a question from Interfax.
The Academy of Sciences is already working with the Russian government and defense ministry in this direction, he said.
"There is now, I may say, a relevant resolution, and I already had meetings: [Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry] Rogozin visited the Academy of Sciences, held a very serious meeting. After that there were more meetings, and the mechanism of providing resources for such work is now being devised," Sergeyev said.
This involves systemic funding of scientific studies which are not fundamental research but do not strictly fall under "design and experimentation work" either, the academician said. This large section of research does not have funding because it is classed neither as "civilian" nor "purely military" science, and does not guarantee a result 100%, he said.
"The question is then: who should be funding this work. The civilian science cannot, and this work is not cheap. The military cannot either, because the state armament program - that's buying new models of equipment and so on. There is no place for fantasies here, you will be commissioned [to make] something for which there is a prototype. But there is no prototype yet. Who should invest in this research for the prototype to be there," Sergeyev said.
Only the national budget can handle this task, because enterprises will not invest in such risky developments, he said. He did not mention specific sources and amount of such funding but "everyone understands that at least 1% of the state armament program should still go towards these needs somehow."
Such research should be organized by the Academy of Sciences, Sergeyev said.
Speaking during the "Expert's time" at the Federation Council earlier on Wednesday he also mentioned the need for fund risky scientific studies for national defense and security. The Academy's role of providing for the scientific side of defense matters is proposed in the amendments to the science law, introduced by President Putin in State Duma, Sergeyev recalled.