Moscow

President Vladimir Putin has set up a new advisory council to help him revive Russia's beleaguered science and high-technology sectors.

Scientists hope the body will make science a higher political priority, although they note that it includes many officials who have overseen the free fall in funding and prestige that has made scientists some of the poorest-paid workers in the country.

The Council on Science and High Technology, which comprises 24 politicians and high-ranking science officials, is charged with helping to prioritize policies on science and innovation, as well as drafting legislation. It will meet at least twice a year, and report on developments worldwide in science and technology, promote cooperation with foreign scientific organizations, and recommend measures to ensure the welfare of Russian scientists.

In part, the council represents a reaction to complaints that the Putin administration has failed to address the dire circumstances facing Russia's scientists. “Many have criticized us for the insufficient attention we have paid,” says Aleksei Gromov, a government spokesman.

Members of the council, headed by Kremlin official Sergei Abramov, will include Yuri Osipov, president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Victor Sadovnichii, rector of Moscow State University, and Evgeny Velikhov, president of the Kurchatov Institute in Moscow.