This document aims to improve the system of state funding for scientific and scientific-technical activities. An important task is to align subordinate regulation with the law "On Science" and budget legislation, as well as to create a comprehensive model of state support for science.
Among the key tasks of the project is the establishment of a unified procedure for the implementation of basic, program-target, and grant funding for scientific research. The document also clearly delineates the sources and forms of funding for science, including the republican budget, funds from the Science Fund, and sectoral state bodies. An important aspect is the establishment of grant funding as the main mechanism for supporting initiative and innovative scientific projects.
The project clarifies the powers of the Cabinet of Ministers, the authorized state body in the field of science, as well as the National Academy of Sciences and other sectoral state bodies. In addition, it improves the legal mechanisms for the operation of the Science Fund as a specialized financial instrument.
The justification for the project notes that the current system of regulatory regulation in the field of science funding has been formed incompletely and does not ensure uniform application of legislation. The analysis revealed the presence of duplicative and inconsistent norms, as well as ambiguities in the distribution of powers among state bodies.
The project proposes to approve an updated procedure for the implementation of basic, program-target, and grant funding, which establishes general rules for supporting science, delineates sources and forms of state assistance, and defines planning procedures in connection with the budget process. The document also emphasizes the coordinating role of the authorized state body while retaining the independent budgetary powers of the National Academy of Sciences and sectoral state bodies.
As part of the project, a new Regulation on the Science Fund is also approved, which will serve as a specialized financial instrument for supporting innovative, priority, and initiative scientific projects. The regulation emphasizes the priority of grant funding, competitive mechanisms for project selection, and flexible management tools for the fund's resources, including the possibility of budget reallocation and the introduction of a moratorium on funding certain areas. Funding for the Science Fund will be provided from the republican budget.
Furthermore, the project provides for the re-approval of the Regulation on the organization and conduct of independent scientific expertise with clarification of the name of the authorized body.
With the adoption of the new document, the Cabinet's resolution "On the Approval of Regulatory Legal Acts on Issues of Funding Scientific and Scientific-Technical Activities and Conducting Independent Scientific and Scientific-Technical Expertise," adopted on April 12, 2024, will lose its force.
Additionally, the project makes changes to subordinate acts regulating the conditions of remuneration for employees of scientific organizations, bringing them into line with legislation. In particular, the changes concern the Cabinet's resolution of February 7, 2025, "On the Conditions of Remuneration and Staffing of Employees of Scientific and Scientific-Technical Organizations," which clarifies the range of state bodies financing scientific research.
