Assessment of resources of higher education institutions as scientific and research infrastructure

Abstract

Problem statement. The relevance of the problem of assessing the resources of higher education institutions as a research infrastructure is due to the need to implement the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding Support for Scientific Work in Higher Education Institutions”. Status of the development of the problem. An analysis of similar and/or related problems was conducted, which was carried out by scientists A.P. Getman, I.V. Podrez-Ryapolova, A.M. Lyubchych, as well as S.M. Nikolaenko, who has experience as the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine in 2005-2007 and was the Chairman of the Committee on Education and Science of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in 2002-2005. Purpose of the article. Popularization of the problem of assessing the resources of higher education institutions as a research infrastructure through a scientific and practical commentary on the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding Support for Scientific Work in Higher Education Institutions”, highlighting the problems of attestation of research infrastructures of higher education institutions and substantiating proposals on the criteria for assessing significant scientific achievements achieved by them and by the scientists who are part of them. Presentation of the main material. The feasibility of state support for scientific work in higher education institutions is substantiated. A commentary on the main provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding Support for Scientific Work in Higher Education Institutions” is provided. The shortcomings of the selection of indicators of achievements of scientists of higher education institutions, which give the attestation of research infrastructures a somewhat distorted idea of the achievements of the institution as a whole, are analyzed. The nonobjectivity of the ratings of scientific achievements of scientific teams of structural units (faculties, departments, laboratories, etc.) and personal achievements of scientists (scientific personnel) does not contribute to encouraging active scientific research work and intellectual publicity. Emphasis is placed on the need to activate local initiatives of institutions, institutes, structural units, Academic Councils of HEIs to improve the methods of assessing the achievements of scientists and teams. Scientific novelty. Little-researched problematic issues of assessing the scientific achievements of Ukrainian scientists working in HEIs are identified. The need to solve them not so much at the state level as at the local level is substantiated. Conclusions. Negative experience of attestation of research infrastructures of higher education institutions of Ukraine in terms of selecting indicators for assessing scientific achievements in comparison with EU countries is revealed. It is proposed to actively study and highlight the problems of adapting scientific activity in higher education institutions as a research infrastructure to the updated requirements of state certification. Trends in the development of the legislative framework for supporting scientific work in higher education institutions and for changing the priority areas of scientific, scientific and technical and innovative activities encourage the debureaucratization of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and educational institutions.