ISEDT RAS Research and Education Centre –a focal point for the growth of the region's science and technology potential
During the years of market transformation Russia witnessed significant reduction in the share of science-intensive sector in the national and regional economy (there has been a decrease in the demand for the results of RD the real wages of researchers declined; the value of professional research activity decreased in the eyes of the public; the inflow of young people in science reduced as well). Overcoming these negative trends requires new approaches to the formation of the country's research potential. The integration of education and science is the most important of these approaches. The article covers the experience in this area, gained at the Institute of Socio-Economic Development of Territories of RAS through the establishment and organization of the work of the Research and Education Centre (REC) for Economics and Information Technologies, which has been functioning for ten years already. The article presents certain conceptual and methodological approaches to the formation of REC, the teaching methods used for educating young people in the chain “school – university – postgraduate studies – research activity”. The article shows the performance and efficiency of the work of REC in the development of regional scientific and technological potential. The article emphasizes the importance of joint work of school education, higher education, science, regional and municipal authorities. The article provides the assessments of young people, who study at the Research and Education Centre, regarding their opinions on the forms and methods of teaching and on the efficiency of studying for the choice of profession. Based on the accumulated practice and performance of the Research and Education Centre, the authors substantiate the prospects of its development as an educational institution of a new type that implements the full cycle of training of highly qualified personnel in the field of economy, management, and information technologies.