Discussion was devoted to the development and introduction of advanced technologies to various spheres of life, and to attitude of Russian society to these changes. Speakers also discussed the role of scientists in upholding the country's technological sovereignty, the importance of reflecting this role in media and mass culture, as well as factors affecting occupational prestige. Participants of the session paid special attention to identifying the problematic areas of Russian science, which shall catch up with the world leaders as soon as possible.
Vadim Glushchenko noted that Russia had a significant potential for exporting national future technologies abroad. He recalled that technologies, knowledge and competencies were unevenly distributed around the world, thus neither state could build a reliable technological sovereignty on its own still being dependent on cooperation with friendly countries.
Obviously, sanctions imposed on Russia have a serious impact on the capabilities of Russian scientists: they are practically not able to participate in prestigious international conferences and forums, as well as publish in serious scientific journals. Many projects with participation of our fellow citizens have been suspended, and work can be continued only by breaking up with Russia. In this regard, both Western and Eastern "head hunters" have become more active, trying to attract Russian scientists and making special offers.
“The Russian scientist is a brand that remains top-ranked for many more years all over the world. Our mathematics school is still one of the best in the world. And such success can be proved by the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), where Russia has been consistently winning top-honored awards for many years now. But without providing competitive environment at the international level, it is almost impossible to keep hold of young talents. And today Russian science is, unfortunately, underinvested,” he said.
He concluded by adding that Russia could export abroad not a single IT product, but "in a package" solutions, i.e. entire ecosystems, for example, digital transformation in public administration. The potential interest in such a product is seen in many countries of the Global South, particularly in those from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, where a relatively young and fast-growing population demonstrates a need for digital services.
The first Forum of Future Technologies takes place on July 9 -14 at the Moscow World Trade Center. This year’s event is dedicated to quantum technologies. It is held within the declared Decade of Science and Technology in the Russian Federation. The forum is managed by the Roscongress Foundation with support from the Ministry of Digital Development and the Russian Academy of Sciences, the co-organizers are Russian Railways and Rosatom.
