Development strategy

The special status of the Institute, as a research institution under the Presidium of the NAS of Ukraine, necessitates the need to take into account the fact that the Institute must perform a significant amount of work on additional tasks of the Academy's leadership. At the same time, the task of ensuring a high level of research on fundamental and applied topics remains. This can be achieved through the implementation of the topic planning developed by the President of the NAS of Ukraine B.E. Paton, the principle of setting up so-called targeted fundamental research. This approach, initiated at the Institute during the time of G.M. Dobrov, assumes that an important result of research should be the increase in scientific potential not only in the form of scientific and theoretical knowledge and applied developments, but also through improving the professional qualifications of the performers of the work and training of scientific personnel.

Another important condition for the strategic planning of the Institute's activities is the need for constant comparison of the results of research into the problems of the development of domestic science with the trends and patterns of the development of world science, as well as the science of the post-Soviet and post-socialist countries. Of great importance is the analysis of the development of science in countries with economies in transition, which are rapidly developing in terms of innovation.

The growth of the general trend towards the reduction of scientific and technical potential, the transformation of domestic science as a result of general internal economic and political reforms and the globalization of the scientific and research space, the destruction of traditional forms of organizing scientific activity and the formation of a new vision by scientists of the perception of the method and rules of organizing science under the influence of its increasing openness require the application of new conceptual approaches to determining the priorities of scientific research and organizing the activities of the Institute.

The medium-term directions and goals of the research include priorities related to the intensification of work on a more complete reconstruction of the history of science in Ukraine, the identification of the most significant events and achievements. Special attention will be paid to the reconstruction of the history of the development of high-tech industries in Ukraine, in particular the rocket and space industry.

The socio-ethical aspects of the conditions for the implementation of the professional activities of scientists, monitoring the dynamics of structural and age changes in the composition of scientific personnel will remain relevant for further research.

On a new methodological basis, research will be carried out on the problems of the effectiveness of scientific teams, training, and integration of academic and educational science. In particular, the methodology for studying the social aspects of the country's innovative development will be continued, the content of measures to adapt society to technological changes will be substantiated, and the relevance of scientific teams to solving the problems of high-quality scientific support for economic development, social uplift, and national security will be increased.

The Institute takes into account in the strategic planning of its research the increasing political and social interest in the viability of the continued existence of the academic form of organizing science in Ukraine. To this end, special attention is paid to global trends in the development of academic science, the justification of the role and contribution of the NAS of Ukraine to the development of domestic and world science. Fundamental and applied research has been initiated into the problems of forming a positive attitude of society towards science, increasing the attractiveness of scientific work, especially for young people. Regular research into the problems of attracting and using young scientists in science will continue.

These and other medium-term directions and the goal of fundamental research should ensure the implementation of the long-term strategic goal, namely: to most fully substantiate by means of scientific knowledge, innovation and history and sociology of science and technology the key role of the scientific and technical sphere in ensuring economic growth and social progress of Ukraine, which are critically important for preserving Ukraine as a sovereign state, as well as ensuring its high image in the world. It is necessary to find weighty arguments and mechanisms with the help of which it will be possible not only to stop the negative trends in the development of national science, but also to bring it to the European level of development in the near future.

As for the promising areas of applied scientific research, they are thematically defined in the target tasks, which are prescribed in the relevant Resolutions of the Presidium of the NAS of Ukraine. In particular, according to the Resolution of the Presidium of the NAS of Ukraine No. 188 dated July 10, 2015, the Institute is entrusted with:

1. Scientific and organizational support for the implementation by scientific institutions and departments of the NAS of Ukraine of comprehensive analytical and forecasting research on the scientific and technological development of Ukraine.
2. Scientific and organizational support for the preparation of annual draft reports on the state of science and prospects for the scientific and technological development of Ukraine at the NAS of Ukraine.
3. Publication of the results of comprehensive research in the field of science, history of science and innovation, in particular for a wide range of Ukrainian society and foreign readers.
4. Scientific and methodological support for the certification of scientific institutions, assessment of the effectiveness of their scientific activities using modern scientometric and other evaluation methods.

In addition to the above-mentioned permanent assignments, the Institute's specialists perform a significant amount of tasks of an expert, analytical and reference nature.

Main directions and measures for the improvement and development of the Institute's activities.

The efforts of the Institute's staff and management will be focused on:

promoting the improvement of the qualifications of employees, especially in related fields of knowledge (history, sociology, economics, mathematics, statistics and other natural, social and humanitarian and technical sciences);

activation of activities to carry out joint research with foreign specialists and improve the publication activity of the Institute's scientists in foreign publications and foreign scientists in the Institute's scientific publications

reproduction of a balanced composition of the scientific team in terms of age and research priorities by improving the work of doctoral and postgraduate studies, priority involvement in the work of the Institute of young researchers who are successfully working on dissertations;

expanding access of Institute employees to international databases and specialized scientific publications;

increasing the efficiency of the formation and use of the Institute's websites and the journal "Science and Science of Science", involving a professional specialist for this purpose;

updating of the Institute's material and technical base (computers, printers, duplicators);

activation of the participation of scientists Institute in popularizing science and the results of their research, especially within the framework of the plans of the House of Scientists, as well as agreements on cooperation with higher educational institutions.

Special measures to support positive trends (strengths) of the Institute’s activities.

• Creation of a system of motivation of personnel for self-improvement and advanced training (including learning foreign languages, participation in training programs, trainings).
• Improving the work of the permanent scientific and methodological seminar for young scientists.
• Support for young scientists (recommendations for obtaining grants, scholarships), support for the work of the Council of Young Scientists, work with interns to involve them in the Institute's scientific research.
• Intensification of cooperation with international research structures and donors.
• Deepening cooperation with state structures.
• Cooperation with higher education institutions to implement research results in teaching specialized disciplines in postgraduate, master's and undergraduate studies.
• Dissemination and popularization of scientific developments, including in foreign languages, through publications in scientific and other publications, speeches and publications in the media, submission of materials on the Institute's website, etc.
• Popularization of scientific research of the Institute in the media.
• Participation in public discussions of current social and scientific issues.

As for the task of reforming the Institute and individual units, as professional researchers we believe that a radical reform is not appropriate specifically for the current state of our Institute. In science, sufficiently effective tools have been developed to increase the relevance of scientific potential to changing tasks. One of such tools is the problem-oriented formation of scientific potential through constant cooperation of employees in the process of implementing topics and projects, aiming to achieve the formation of a highly effective team of researchers for a specific task.

The Institute also plans for this purpose:

1. To focus the attention of the existing potential on studying the real practice of organizing cooperation between science and production.
2. To activate predictive and analytical research to solve problems of managing scientific activity and to substantiate proposals for science management bodies
3. Expand research in the fields of scientometrics and webometrics.
4. Make maximum efforts to attract talented youth to the Institute.

Analysis of possible threats to the implementation of the envisaged measures for improving and developing the Institute's activities
improvement and development of the Institute's activities

Possible internal and external threats.

Possible internal threats

The main internal threats are related to the state of the age structure of scientific personnel, the discrepancy between the level of remuneration of researchers and the growing level of their professional qualifications, and the decrease in the level of demand for the results of research by the Institute's scientists from potential customers: government agencies, large enterprises, and business structures. These internal threats arise as a result of the implementation of a flawed state scientific and technical policy in Ukraine, known as the policy of "survival of science", which does not provide the necessary potential for its active development. The Institute becomes completely dependent on insufficient budget funding for its development, which makes it impossible to carry out effective strategic planning of its development.

Possible external threats.

The main external threat is the inability to predict and substantiate specific paths and prospects for the development of domestic science, to provide the necessary scientific support for the transition of the country's economy to an innovative path of development, which is due to socio-political instability, a systemic economic crisis, and the lack of an effective state strategy for the country's development in the medium and long term.

Areas and necessary measures to overcome possible internal threats.

Strengthening the responsibility of the management of the Institute, its divisions and all employees for the performance of their duties through the implementation of a regular system of assessing their contribution to the Institute's achievement of its strategic goals.

Active participation of scientists of the Institute in working groups and public associations that influence the formation and implementation of state policy in the field of science and innovation.

Active policy of developing contacts and creating consortia with foreign countries in the field of scientific cooperation.

Necessary external conditions and measures to overcome external threats..

The state of development of science studies, innovation, and the history of science is determined mainly by the general state of development of science. Accordingly, the conditions and measures to overcome external threats to the functioning of the Institute are determined by the conditions and measures to overcome external threats to the scientific and innovative spheres of Ukraine as a whole. Based on this, the key measures should be as follows.

1. Change in the conceptual principles that will determine the role and functions of the state in creating an effective national innovation system according to European standards, ensuring the material and technical base, stimulating innovative activity of business and the population, and rational use of national resources.
2. State scientific and innovation policy as a function of state administration bodies should take a priority place in the system of state administration functions, structural restructuring of the economy, formation of real requests and requirements for the further development of science and the scientific and technological sphere.
3. To regulate, in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine, the distribution of the functions of state policy formation and its implementation between government bodies. Executive bodies should be fully focused on the implementation of state policy and not take on the function of its formation, as is currently the case, which actually weakens the responsibility of executive bodies for the implementation of legislative norms of state support for a certain sphere of activity. In the scientific sphere, this situation has led to increased bureaucratic interference of the state executive body in the internal life of the scientific community and almost complete loss of its responsibility for ensuring the implementation of legislative and regulatory acts on state support for science.

4. To specify the means of exercising powers regarding the formation of state policy in the field of science and technology at the level of the President of Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. In particular, to create a special structure for the development of science and technology in the office of the President of Ukraine, as well as, accordingly, a public Council headed by the Advisor to the President of Ukraine, whose task is to provide the President of Ukraine with assistance in determining strategic goals of scientific, technological and innovative development, and determining ways to achieve them at the national, regional and sectoral levels.

1. Reform the current National Council for the Development of Science and Technology, headed by the Prime Minister of Ukraine, into a coordinating body of the Cabinet of Ministers on innovative development, which will help to finally overcome the negative attitude of executive authorities to issues of innovative development, especially from the economic and financial block of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
2. To ensure the targeted implementation of innovation policy, a supra-sectoral executive body should be created, for example, the Committee for Industrial Research, Technologies and Innovative Development, with a powerful (1.5-2 billion USD) Ukrainian Fund for Advanced Research, the production of high-tech products, military, special and dual-purpose goods subordinate to it. The current Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has neither the appropriate powers, nor financial capabilities, nor human resources to perform these functions.
3. Ukraine needs to introduce the experience of advanced countries in establishing links between science, government and business according to the principle of the “triple helix”. According to this principle, the government should take responsibility for state support and coordination of actions of all links of the innovation cycle at the entire pre-commercial stage of the reproduction process, especially as it concerns the development of high-tech industries. For this purpose, a developed system of state stimulation of innovative business activity should be applied.

8. The practice of the state program-targeted approach to the organization of scientific research and the use of its results, the restoration of forecasting and analytical research on prospective technological and innovative development and the use of their results in the practice of state strategic management is needed.

1. The globalization of scientific activity strengthens interstate ties, forms new scientific values and norms, which weakens the uniqueness of national scientific culture. Such an impact has both a positive and negative character. With significant openness of national scientific systems, the difference in the level of development of science in different countries is especially clearly visible. Scientific inequality increases the spatial international migration of scientists. At the same time, globalization gives rise to many new forms of organizing the work of scientists, more mobile and organizationally temporary. Finally, globalization forms a specific type of Ukrainian scientists from among those who have accumulated experience working abroad and in international projects. Many of them are oriented towards Western standards of scientific activity and feel uncomfortable in Ukrainian scientific realities. These and other external challenges shape the thematic research strategy of the institute. At the same time, they determine the need to update the scientific staff of the institute and create conditions for attracting talented young specialists and securing them for further work in the team. Achieving positive results in this regard should be facilitated by a personnel strategy that focuses on stimulating young researchers to actively participate in competitions, scientific projects, receive grants, including foreign ones, timely preparation of dissertations and assistance in their defense. The institute has introduced the practice of priority enrollment in the staff of postgraduate graduates who have prepared their dissertations on time.