Subjects of research activities: from traditional concepts to civil science

Scientific and technological development of the country is one of the key tasks of the Russian Federation. Competitiveness in the global market for high-tech and knowledge-intensive products needs to be improved. That national objective can not be achieved without legal institutions capable of regulating that relationship. The issue of legal personality is topical and of considerable practical importance in the context of new technological challenges. Purpose: to determine the characteristics of the legal status of subjects involved in research activities. Methods: the author applies theoretical methods of formal and dialectical logic; empirical methods of description and interpretation; as well as specific scientific methods: juridical-dogmatic and interpretation of legal norms. Results: the main forms of research activities are identified, including the description of the phenomenon of «civil science». The requirements to subjects carrying out research activities, features of their legal status are determined. The distinguishing features of civil science are identified as a phenomenon that is not legally enshrined in Russian law.