Scientific Experts Corps organized with assistance from the Dynasty Foundation

In 2008, the Dynasty Foundation supported the creation of a list of experts in physics and astronomy who enjoy the professional trust of their Russian and foreign colleagues. This list (which includes sub-specialties) is available online (in Russian) and continues to be updated.

Mikhail Feigelman (left), deputy director of the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, and Galina Tsirlina (right), professor of chemistry, Moscow State University, talk about the Experts Corps on Radio Svoboda (Radio Liberty). Photo courtesy of www.svobodanews.ru

In 2009, an analogous list of biologists will be compiled.

The shortcomings of Russian expertise in the budgeting of funds for scientific research, especially in the state sector, has long been a topic of discussion amongst practicing scientific researchers.

Aside from poor regulation, the problem of incompetent experts also exists. Companies whose business relies indirectly or directly on science encounter a related problem—the difficulty of recruiting competent experts and consultants.

After a series of public discussions, the idea arose to do a “snowball method” survey in order to identify the most authoritative specialists within the scientific community. This kind of survey makes it possible to compile a pool of experts that inspires more trust among potential clients than a list assembled using such formal criteria as numbers of citations and publications, and titles and degrees. And, as long as the methodology is strictly adhered to, the degree of “clanniness” in the expert community can also be minimized.

In October 2007, the first stage of this project—a survey of experts in condensed state physics—was initiated by the chief editors of Russia's leading physics journals, United Energy Systems of Russia (RAO-UES), and Troika Dialog investment company.

In March and April 2008, the first list of experts was published. Dynasty Foundation then joined the project, and the survey encompassed other specialties in physics and astronomy.

Nearly simultaneously with the publication of the first part of the list of experts in condensed state physics (March 2008), the Rosnanotekh State Corporation announced that one of its criteria for selecting experts would be “membership in an experts corps formed via a survey of active and highly cited Russian scientists.”

The Experts Corps working group has also consulted the Physical Sciences Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the formation of a fairly extensive pool of experts for one of the new state programs.

During the course of the project, the Experts Corps has assembled a database that contains information on the specializations of 4,000 scientific researchers from Russia and the Russian diaspora, as well as analogous information about foreign scientists who were identified as potential experts. At present, the most complete databases pertain to physics and astronomy.

The most complex and massive task that the new Experts Corps could be asked to solve is a study of the real structure of Russian science as it exists at present in order to identify the most viable, internationally competitive areas of research and the most successful research teams.

The organizers and many members of this project believe that unless such an analysis is undertaken, it will be impossible to carry out meaningful reforms of Russia's technical and scientific research complex.