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Now Brain-drain from even Russia |
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August 17, 2000
MOSCOW (AP) - President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday lamented the meager salaries Russian scientists receive, blaming that for the "brain drain" from Russian laboratories and institutes. Speaking to top scientists in the southern resort city of Sochi, Putin said about 30,000 Russian scientists are now working abroad, and that many who remain in Russia are nearing retirement age, according to the Interfax news agency. "For a long time, scarce funds were allocated on paper to the development of science ... however, science did not receive them," he told the gathering of members of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He said funding has improved somewhat recently. He said scientists in Russia still earn less than the average monthly wage, according to Interfax. The average wage in Russia in 1999 was about 1,700 rubles (dlrs 60 at the time) per month. Russian scientists fetch much higher salaries in Western Europe and the United States for their strong training in mathematics and basic science. |