OREANDA-NEWS. February 18, 2010. The President announced having signed an executive order increasing the presidential stipends paid to the best undergraduate and postgraduate students at Russian universities.

Mr Fursenko reported on the steps by the ministry in implementing the President’s instructions on launching business incubators and small businesses at universities, and the problems confronted. Dmitry Medvedev instructed the Minister to review these problems with Cabinet members in charge of economy and come up with a coordinated solution approach.

Mr Medvedev and Mr Fursenko also discussed the prospects for inviting foreign scientists, including those of Russian origin, to work in Russia. A respective presidential instruction has been issued.

According to the Minister, 110 grants have been earmarked for scholars willing to work at Russian universities without resigning from their current jobs abroad. The grants are awarded to the winners in a competition among 380 applicants.

Mr Fursenko voiced a suggestion of having a larger-scale grant competition among foreign scientists offering its winners jobs at research laboratories and university chairs to be founded for them in Russia.

Dmitry Medvedev emphasised Russia’s interest in this type of collaboration with leading specialists in various fields and in having scientists of Russian origin return and work in Russia on a permanent or temporary basis.