DSc., Prof. William Zadorsky
Ukrainian State University of Chemical Engineering,
The Pridneprovie Cleaner Production Center Head
Ukraine
www.zadorsky.8m.com
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Steady deepening of economic and ecological crises, fall of a gain of the Ukrainian population force to search for effective ways of prevention of the population extinction, maintenance of survival. A theme formulated in this article heading seemed today is irrelevant. Up to a science whether to us today, when the overwhelming majority of the people which are not entering into imperious structures, not being by "the red directors" and not engaged by trade, are behind feature of poverty. However, right now it is necessary seriously to reflect above a question, whether and it is possible, not basing on a science, to remove the huge country from a crisis situation. Many countries left from such situations, basing on the scientific forecasts, the world scientific experience. Ukraine, as always, searches for the "original", independent way of an exit from crisis. At least, while the public is not informed about scientific and reasonable ways of an exit from crisis.
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One of few chances for Ukraine to leave from economic, ecological and other crises, in which country today is - to base on that scientific potential, which today still has (though last years it is substantially decreasing). As to the real help to Ukraine from the outside, it is possible only by reanimation of its own science. First of all, it is necessary, joint efforts of our chiefs of the country and western sponsors to try to ensure in our country employment and worthy standard of living for those experts and scientists, which works will promote the decision of tasks of sustainable development of Ukraine, development of high technology branches of manufacture, creation of competitive manufactures and production. In this case efficiency of work of the scientists and experts at home will be much significant, than if it will appear in other country, where the basic stayed vital forces of the scientist will leave on his adaptation, struggle for a survival. It is clear, that Ukraine even with western help today be not capable to support all scientists and experts. It expensive task for our country. But to be determined with priorities, to reorganize our science in view of market mechanisms of managing and using the systems, standard in the world, of competitive financing, grants, tenders etc., probably, time is coming. Here role of state structures is extremely great. It not only management by reorganization of a science, but also formation of legislative base favorable tax politics, benevolent assistance of law-enforcement officials, etc.
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The essence of the offer is reduced that the knowledge, experience, collective brain of ours scientists and experts is the goods, which can and should be sold in the global intellectual market under the price appropriate to its quality. The price of these goods is rather high and at correct clever politics will allow to solve a lot of problems of country, including economic ones. And, first of all, the intellectual forces of Ukraine should be used for the decision of its economic, ecological and social problems closed in the concept of sustainable development of the country.
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Just at this stage the help of the foreign investors in a science which today invest the rather large sums for development by forces of western experts of the programs of sustainable development of the country would be most desirable, pollution prevention programs for the regions and separate manufactures, programs of conversion, energysaving, structural reorganization of industrial and agricultural manufacture. Thus potential of the scientists and experts of Ukraine either is not used at all, or is used obviously insufficiently. For anybody not a secret already, that these programs and the works executed by forces of western scientists and the experts, frequently do not take into account our realities, mentality of the people, our opportunities. Probably, would be more expedient to use the same investments for financing performance of works by collectives both separate scientists and experts of Ukraine on a competitive basis, certainly, at participation and control of the investor. And here there is a danger, that money will be again allocated not for concrete work, not concrete creative collective or even to the scientist, and research institute, National Academy of sciences, high school etc. The long-term experience has shown, that in that case, when the financing is distributed by the managers from a science or state, it reaches the executor in considerably cut down volume or does not reach at all.
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Probably, system, accepted already in much countries, technological incubators (here and there them name as hothouses) is the most rational system of financing and organization of scientific researches promoting reception of the fastest result. The investments in high technology are in opinion of many investors and scientists most effective, but simultaneously by most risky. The decrease of risk of such investments is the major factor of attraction of the capital in innovations not only at a stage of creation of manufacture, but also at a stage of researches and development. The experience of creation of system of the investments in the technological projects is interesting at minimization of overall risk saved by firm " Eurotech, Ltd. " (USA) in the market of the newest technologies. As the technical director of this firm Professor Oleg Figovsky writes, as against usual practice of the investments in the concrete projects, frequently in various areas of engineering, the firm carries out batch investment in group of the homogeneous projects close on subjects. Carried out by the Professor O.Figovsky the analysis of experience on investment in the technological projects has shown, that, despite of various ways of realization of the projects (creation of own manufacture, joint activity with large firms - manufacturers, sale of the licenses etc.) the minimal profit for everyone of the commercialized project of the given type makes 1.4 mln. Dollars. Thus the real profit almost twice exceeds expenses, that is much higher not only bank profit, but also average profit of the shares exchange on the New York stock exchange. In Ukraine the efficiency of investment of technological development confirms for the present small experience of the Ukrainian scientific and technical center created on the agreement of Governments of USA, Canada, Sweden and Ukraine similarly to western technological incubators, conversion direction, financing the research projects.
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Some years back in a cycle of materials published in the Moscow newspaper "The Business World" on a theme "as to rescue a science in former USSR", I already wrote about expediency to use potential scientific not in another's for him country, where basic, maybe, him last forces will leave on adaptation in another's environment, development of another's language, reorganization his point of view, eventually, and in the country, in habitual environment together with the schoolboys and employees. That prevents the employers, potential investors to order scientific work to the not experts, but scientists and experts of other country. Here in general there are no opening, such practice " of an international science " is enough distributed in the world. However, by virtue of the traditions which have stayed from times of the "iron curtain", and today scientists of Ukraine are rarely involved in performance of the international projects, to participation in the tenders, competitions etc.
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And still already in a near future it is necessary to expect occurrence of the Ukrainian technological hothouses not only in Kiev, but also in a lot of other regions of the country. For example, we are going to organize such hothouse in Dnepropetrovsk as there are all preconditions for creation regional scientific - technological hothouses. There is a high scientific potential of the scientists and experts working earlier in numerous high schools, research and design institutes and enterprises, including defensive structure. It, undoubtedly, will promote an exit of Ukraine from crisis, reduction of outflow of brains, pumping out of scientific development and lose of scientific potential of Ukraine.
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In light above-stated, it can be offered some algorithms of a conclusion from a crisis condition of the separate scientific enterprises and high schools for to remove at once all science by the separate governmental decree, by the decision of imperious structure or investments it is impossible. Let's consider probable mechanisms of an output from crisis on an example of typical Ukrainian high school (today majority of them are in a critical condition). It's possible to lead analogy of typical high school to the ship of a type "the river - lake" which quietly was floating tens years in conditions of a complete calm, having in the quality captain instruction the famous Charter of a higher Schools created still during the Soviet Union per the most stagnant years. And here such ship from quiet water has got in storming ocean of market economy. The captain instruction for the market economy, taking into account the laws, is not present, rate is not known, the ship is immersing in abyss. The desperate shouts about the help at government of the special reaction do not cause - " come up " - in the answer. The saving tow (financing) will not be. At the best will show care and will replace the captain (in case of university - rector), as it has taken place already in a number of universities of Dnepropetrovsk.
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I shall try as the high school professor knowing a problems of a higher school from within, to result variant of algorithm of rescue of high school in conditions of the transitive period in market economy. First of all, it is necessary to not wait for rescue neither from the state, nor from the foreign investors. It fatally is dangerous the ship, immersed in water abyss. It is necessary to base only on own potential, own forces. And to begin expediently from definition of new rules of game. The build, the system has changed, and it is necessary to generate in view of experience of a higher school of other countries new rules of game, to search for the new forms of activity. Unfortunately, the high school chiefs and managers of all ranks frequently do not own the laws and mechanisms of market economy. Well what, it is necessary to help them to study them. Is necessary to work in this direction (study of the system approach, bases of modern management and marketing, bases of the international cooperation, qualitative jerk in the field of computer knowledge etc.).
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As the results of this work (and not just age qualification and term of work on one place) should become base for realization accepted in any systems of management of rotation of the managing staff and managers of all ranks. The team by the ship should be not group sat up on one place till 15-20 of years experts, not capable to perceive new and rising against of any changes in their activity. New generation of managers, capable to navigation of the scientific ship in new market conditions are necessary.
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As parallel to rotation it is expedient for carrying out re-structuring of high school, for its structure now does not promote functioning in market conditions. The experience of re-structuring of the enterprises, organizations, scientific institutes in the world, yes already and in Ukraine, has shown, as for high school the most rational way is splitting large organization, in a considered case of high school, on group of rather independent organizations. In market conditions the high school will become association (or consortium, corporation etc.) rather independent enterprises: faculties, laboratories, centers, joint ventures, technological hothouses and business incubators. All of them should have the legal person, independent account in bank, property and real estate. Only it can today make active creative potential and to wake enterprise of the employees in each such enterprise. The similar processes today by complete course go in an industry, when instead of huge combines there are associations concerning the smaller enterprises. If to continue our analogy to the ship, it is equivalent to transition of the passengers and crew with large, but unstable, sinking ship on saving court and creation instead of the unreliable ship more reliable and operative group of the ships more proof in conditions of storm.
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In conditions of high school, certainly, the main key hierarchical level in this hierarchy should become faculty or even department as independent collective with the usual scientific direction determined image, authority. While in the Ukrainian high schools the faculty (department) usually has not the legal person, and its manager has not the outlined rights and duties, and frequently has not even the duty regulations. About what initiative and enterprise it is possible in this case to speak!
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Only after realization of these first steps the high school can enter into a market of knowledge and intellectual production. It is a difficult task, for the segments of this market in the world are divided and difficulty to Ukrainian high school, unsophisticated in market economy, to sustain a most severe competition in this market. Actually high schools have only two kinds of the goods - brains and knowledge. If with knowledge more and more or less clearly - teach the students or the post-graduate students from Ukraine and foreign countries, carry out paid seminars, trainings, conferences on new scientific directions etc., - that with sale of brains is far from being all clearly. Here serious problems with legal protection of the intellectual property, with legal and economic norms of scientific and technical cooperation. If such enterprises, as mentioned above USTC, had time to achieve to itself the concessionaire terms of existence from the Ukrainian government, what the new enterprises have to do, which simply will not survive at rigid system, working in Ukraine, of the taxation. At the same time, the outflow of brains in the form of work scientific in foreign firms and institutes under the contracts or reception of compensation from the transatlantic investor directly by executors of work is undesirable to the country. All these and similar questions will require quiet benevolent consideration and decision on the part of the Ukrainian legislative bodies.
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Well and high schools, it is necessary to high schools to study to trade by production, to master the laws of marketing and to win segments of the market, to reconstruct information base and advertising on a modern level, to study business in planning and to master the market of the investments. It is necessary to study to react as the market requires for scientific production and, first of all to carry out those works, in which requires the market today or will require tomorrow. And the experts to high schools are necessary for preparing according to needs of the market, not overlooking thus about forecasting. For example, today unless the laziest high schools of Ukraine do not prepare the experts in market economy. It is uneasy to foresee, in what it can result - already today these experts frequently remain dead and fill up the market of the unemployed.
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At the same time, today Ukrainian high schools practically do not prepare the experts in sustainable development, industrial symbiosis, theory and practice of cleaner production etc. And you see just these directions become already today priority for Ukraine!
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And, at last, it is impossible to imagine the decision of problems of reanimation of a higher school without serious and multiplane international cooperation. Here again, alongside with the decision of problems of reanimation of a science at a level of separate establishments (high schools, laboratories, enterprises), it is necessary in each region to create regional associative organization integrating scientific potential of the scientists and the experts of region and organizing output on the international market of intellectual production. This association, is absolutely not necessary with a state pattern of ownership, but organized on the initiative and with assistance of authority, which should have divisions capable to work with the completely unusual goods - by the intellectual property. The management, marketing, right protection is necessary appropriate to specificity of these goods. Here there should be patent specialists, managers from a science, economists owning business planning, experts in the field of the international activity, case of the interpreters etc. It is difficult to foresee, as such organization in region will develop, but the preconditions for its occurrence and already its separate components are available.
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If written will be higher to promote transition from fruitless conversations on a near-science theme, from ours usual passivity to active work on integration of the Ukrainian science in the world market of intellectual production both revival of glory in a past and power of a science of Ukraine capable to deduce our country in number of the advanced countries of the world, the author will consider a task of the given publication executed.
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