Ensuring Russia’s scientific sovereignty through instruments of strategic import of intellectual capital

Abstract

Abstract

This scientific article is determined, on the one hand, by the need to find effective and operational mechanisms to strengthen Russia’s scientific and technological self-sufficiency, an important element of which is human resources, on the other hand, by studying the current migration measures in terms of applicability to solving this problem. The strategy of scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation sets ambitious goals, the achievement of which directly depends on the quality and volume of human resources, however, traditional tools of internal reproduction of personnel, which are of a long-term nature, may not be fast enough to compensate for emerging imbalances and shortages of critical competencies. In this regard, the purpose of the study is to analyze and test Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 883 dated December 02, 2025 “On support for the resettlement of foreign citizens and stateless persons of interest to the Russian Federation and on the specifics of their legal status in the Russian Federation” as a new mechanism to ensure a critical personnel component. The author’s hypothesis is that this legal act is not just a migration measure, but a targeted instrument for the strategic import of intellectual capital, designed to become a catalyst for fulfilling government priorities. The analysis makes it possible to draw key conclusions confirming the relevance of the chosen perspective: Decree No. 883 forms a flexible and targeted legal regime capable of promptly attracting foreign specialists whose competencies directly correspond to the challenges outlined in the Strategy. Unlike its foreign counterparts, it focuses on meaningful criteria of “usefulness” for national priorities rather than formal scoring systems. Thus, the study demonstrates that the integration of this mechanism into the overall system of scientific and technological policy measures makes it possible to create a comprehensive response to the personnel challenges of sovereignty, combining long-term internal development with a short-term external influx of talent.