A Look from Abroad: Problems and Prospects of Interaction with the Russian Scientific Expatriate Community

Introduction. One of the key characteristics of the modern global scientific community is the high level of international academic mobility. Thereremain a number of bureaucratic, economic, and sociopolitical barriers inRussia that prevent the development of cooperation with the Russian-speaking scientific expatriate community and the establishment of favorable conditions for Russian scientists to return to their home country. This articlewill discuss these barriers and the potential ways to overcome them. Methods. The study is based on the analysis of the results of a survey conducted among Russian scientists working abroad. An invitation to participate inthe survey was sent to 2,892 respondents via email. The contacts of Russianscientists were gathered using bibliometric analysis of the Web of Sciencedata and a search in the public domain. Results and Discussion. The findings have shown that the 1990s were the peak years of emigration for Russian scientists. The majority of these scientists are currently 40–60 yearsold. The biggest obstacles impeding the return of Russian scientists and thedevelopment of cooperation with the scientific expatriate community are financial (underfunding, imperfections of the grant system) and bureaucratic(overbureaucratization, problems related to sourcing equipment and materials). The study has determined the most successful Russian programsaimed at attracting international scientists into the country (the Megagrantprogram; creating international laboratories at universities that take part inProject 5-100), assessed their advantages and disadvantages, and discoveredthe most advantageous forms of cooperation for Russian scientists: takingpart in international scientific collaborations and cooperating with Russianuniversities on the organization of overseas internships for Russian studentsand postgraduates. Conclusion. The article offers a range of solutions tohelp establish an environment that would encourage Russian scientists toreturn into the county and to stimulate ...