Research and Production Cooperation and its State Support: the View of Russian Business

The article explores typical approaches employed by Russian innovation-active companies to organize cooperation with universities in the fi eld of research and development (R&D), as well as the specifi c features of applying relevant state support measures. The empirical basis of the study consists of a survey of enterprises and a series of expert interviews conducted in 2024–2025. The fi ndings indicate that companies predominantly rely on a project-based format of collaboration, selecting partners for specifi c projects. Strategic partnerships covering a broader range of topics with several universities are less common, while institutional forms of cooperation—such as the establishment of joint thematic research centers—remain rare and are primarily characteristic of large enterprises. The study confi rms a growing trend among companies to abandon direct state support instruments (such as subsidies or grants from development institutions), including targeted measures for research and production cooperation, in favor of tools with minimal administrative costs. The analysis reveals diff erences in approaches to university collaboration and the use of support mechanisms among companies of various sizes. When selecting partner universities, enterprises tend to prefer those actively engaged in state programs and initiatives. According to business representatives, such universities possess world-class research competencies and infrastructure, which help reduce project risks and compensate for the company’s limited internal resources. This, in turn, strengthens corporate confi dence in addressing applied scientifi c problems and stimulates growth in R&D expenditures.