Science Foundations: A Novelty in Russian Science

Science foundations, a new development in Russian science, are described in this Policy Forum. Their mode of operation is dramatically different from the old method of financing science. Because they were largely copied from foreign experience and because they coexist with older Soviet methods of financing and administering science, they are unique institutions and are still controversial in Russia. The Russian disputes about these foundations have inherent interest for American and other foreign scientists and science administrators.