Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia Valery Falkov talked with Russian rectors

Acting Rector Dmitry Tayursky took part in the meeting on 21 March.

Minister Falkov emphasized that universities should focus on student liaisons and on-site teaching. He opined that the pandemic indeed affected the quality of education, and it’s important to understand how it influenced the students’ skills and knowledge.

The Minister also paid attention to psychological support for students, “There must be a permanent platform for students and educators to apply to. And we have to pay special attention to international students.”

Valery Falkov informed everyone that a moratorium has been put in place on publication activity KPIs, including presence in international publication databases.

“We have to rethink our activities at this stage and increase support for Russian journals, as well as decrease the significance of bibliometric and scientometric criteria in evaluations of science teams,” he added.

The moratorium, of course, does not imply an outright ban on publication. Russia must preserve its visibility in global science.

Falkov assured that the Ministry will not cancel any of its ongoing programs and projects.