On monitoring system

for scientific and technological complex of nanoindustry in Russia

D.V.Konkin, V.G.Zhulego, A.A.Balyakin

RSC <Kurchatovskiy Institute>

I.K.Nasyrov, S.Ye.Kunshin

A.N.Tupolev KSTU

K.Marx, 10, Kazan, 420111, Russia

The process of nanotechnology development that started in the last decades considerably differs from other branches of science and technology in its influence on society life. Nanotechnology is interdisciplinary and possesses all the signs of superbranch industry. In prospect it leads to development of fundamentally new economic structure, and today it is of base priority for many existing branches and affects almost all sides of mankind life. It is notable for synergism that is evident in a number of common features: transition to nano-dimension, technology of nuclear-molecular design, interdisciplinary cooperation, and convergence of organic and inorganic worlds.

Development of nanotechnology and establishment of nanoindustry in Russian Federation began somewhat later than in the USA, European Union and Japan. However today when nanotechnologies are considered in the context of public policy for scientific and technological development as a priority direction and a system basis for scientific, technological, social, and economic development of the country, and as a foundation for the country to become one of world technological leaders, it is possible to indicate an accelerated development of nanotechnologies in Russian Federation.

One should note here that if in certain directions Russian nanotechnologies match the best world samples, still the significant part of them demand considerable efforts of science and business, based on institutional and economic support of the state.

Nowadays deficiency of actual, systematic and complex information on the given question together with absence of modern methods for its acquisition, processing and analysis, does not allow to predict development of scales and structure of research and industrial potential of nanoindustry, formation of nanoproduction markets, evaluation of the given sector development effect on economy both on federal and regional levels. The problem can be solved by design and application of a monitoring system for researches and developments in the field of nanotechnologies, that is nanomonitoring.

Nano-monitoring should provide acquisition, analysis, generalization and representation of data on the development of researches and designs in the field of nanotechnologies, formation of essentially new information base for examination of processes in the given sphere, development of corresponding public policy and managerial decision-making, creation of a system informing the scientific, industrial and business communities on prospects of development and realization of nanotechnologies in Russia.

Objects for nanomonitoring:

-         research projects and their results in the field of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials;

-         companies and developers, realizing corresponding designs;

-         publications, both domestic and foreign, on problems of nanotechnologies (reports, monographs, articles, etc.).

Nanomonitoring has a structure of multilevel information system based on data flows from the subjects. Theoretically the monitoring system should be provided with interaction with federal and regional executive authorities, statistical services and sociological centers.

Monitoring system includes a wide range of participants from federal authorities for science and technologies control to particular researchers and developers. Federal Ministries and Departments also participate in monitoring and use its outcomes.

Their potential functions are in departmental information delivery, participation in researches required by the users, analysis of monitoring results for decision-making in their sphere of authority. Federal Ministries are also potential suppliers of departmental statistics and other relevant information. Leading experts of these departments can act as experts and advisers at realization of methodological and analytical researches. Basic users of monitoring results are Directing Scientific Agency of Coordinating Program, branch directing agencies for directions of technological development, scientific, educational, design and industrial centers, included in national nanotechnological network (NNN).

Basic problems of nanomonitoring are the following:

-         governing authorities provision with full, efficient and reliable information on processes of nanoindustry development in different spheres of economic activities;

-         timely prediction of positive events, revealing of negative tendencies, estimation of their possible effect on productivity of process of advanced nanoindustry formation in Russia;

-         information supply of researchers and developers in the field of nanotechnologies.

Functions of the monitoring system are determined by its goals and objectives. They are:

-         acquisition, processing, analysis, storage and transfer of information on researches and developments in the field of nanotechnologies;

-         formation of information data bases for their application for control and coordination of works in nanoindustry:

-         information support of nanoindustry production commercialization;

-         information support of management decisions in nanotechnologies;

-         granting (on demand in accordance with the established procedure) the information of monitoring system, maintenance of resources protection from unauthorized use;

-         information exchange between organizations with compliance of access level;

-         formation of common information space of monitoring system on the basis of unification and compatibility of information, software and hardware;

-         information supply of international projects realization in the field of nanotechnologies.

Data flows of monitoring system

The main sources of information for monitoring are the documents of state statistics, results of special surveys, expert evaluations, and data from NNN participants. Key structures of information exchange in monitoring system are the following: Ministry for Education and Science of Russian Federation and participants of national nanotechnological network, federal nanomonitoring center and regional information and analytical nanomonitoring centers. Other organizations will be involved in information exchange including interested federal executive authorities.

Regional information and analytical centers (gaining the information from branch ministries and departments) accumulate regional information, collected in the framework of nanomonitoring, and use it in analytical researches and for filling up the regional performance rates. These centers provide regional monitoring organizations with statistical information.

Monitoring should be institutionally built in procedures of managerial decision-making.

Monitoring should be oriented towards acquisition of qualitatively new information by means of scenario analysis, forecasting (on the basis of diverse existing and new information: statistical data, results of special and expert surveys, etc.). It means that a special ever-developing bank should be established containing appropriate methodical, information and analytical materials, and monitoring results should be embedded into created information resource.

Nowadays nanomonitoring system is at initial development stage. However its essential role is already obvious in development of nanotechnologies in Russia. Development of nanomonitoring system on federal and regional levels will contribute much in implementation of ambitious plans of innovation development of Russian Federation.