Rating of Russian regions scientific and technological potential

Introduction: under the conditions of deteriorating conditions of the external socio-economic environment, the relevance of issues related to ensuring the technological sovereignty of Russia and its regions upcoming to the front. One of the factors, the effective reproduction of which will provide the solution to this problem, is the scientific and technological potential of the territories. Russian regions differ significantly in the level of scientific and technological development, conditions for the implementing research, technical and innovative activities, including resource support for the reproduction of scientific and technological potential (personnel, financial, etc.). This makes it necessary not only to assess the scientific and technological potential of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, but also to identify the factors that affect it. Along with this, the phenomenon of scientific and technological potential itself is multidimensional in terms of research, thus bringing in controversy regarding the methodological approaches to its assessment. Objectives: to build a rating of the scientific and technological potential of Russian regions, based on the developed methodology, that allows to conduct an objective analysis of the scientific and technological potential of the territories as well as to carry out a differentiated assessment of Russian regions by science and technology indicators. Methods: comparison of methods for assessing the scientific and technological potential and scientific and technological development of Russian regions, multidimensional comparative analysis based on an integral approach to determine the level of scientific and technological potential. Results: the theoretical concepts were structured within the framework of which the research of regions’ development and the factors that condition this process are carried out. The research demonstrated the polarity of these concepts’ provisions in (1) interference/non-interference of the authorities in economic processes, (2) convergence/non-convergence between regions in terms of socio-economic development indicators. The paper reveals the controversy regarding methodological approaches to the assessment of scientific, technological and innovative development of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. It is shown that, despite the similarity of their purpose, the differences are caused by the difference in the information sources used, in the types of data used (in some cases – statistical data, in others – departmental data and the results of expert surveys), as well as in the openness and accessibility of indicators for analysis. Groups of regions differing in the level of science and technology potential development were identified. Conclusions: most Russian regions are characterized by the science and technology potential “below average” due to the similar level of the components included in its structure. The situation looks the same in most regions of the Northwestern Federal District and in the Vologda Oblast. In the latter, the opportunities for the realization of potential are associated with the availability of potential in terms of research and development, while human and financial resources act as obstacles.