Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced increasing the salaries of Full Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences to 50,000 roubles. The salaries of Corresponding Members of the Academy of Sciences and their colleagues from subject-specific academies will also be increased. The Prime Minister told Education Minister Andrei Fursenko and President of the Academy of Sciences Yury Osipov about it during their meeting.

Extract from the transcript of Vladimir Putin's meeting with Andrei Fursenko and Yury Osipov:

Vladimir Putin: Mr Osipov, we discussed the possibility and the pressing need to increase the salaries of Full and Corresponding Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as of your colleagues at subject-specific academies.

We discussed different options, from quite moderate to significant though still plausible. I decided to raise the sum to the maximum, and today we are to justify this figure. We're boosting the salaries of Full Members of the Academy of Sciences to 50,000 roubles, and the salaries of Corresponding Members and your colleagues at subject-specific academies accordingly.

I know you are going to hold a meeting where you'll summarize the outcome of the six-year work.

Yury Osipov: That's right. It's a crucial event. The meeting will be held on May 29. You have helped the Academy and the science in general so much. On behalf of the Academy of Sciences we would like to invite you to the meeting, if you have the time. The agenda is going to be very interesting.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you, Mr Osipov.

Yury Osipov: Thank you, Mr Putin.

Vladimir Putin: We have discussed on several occasions the working out of the Federal targeted programme on training scientific and teaching staff. It's your major task as a minister. How's it going?

Andrei Fursenko: Well, as a minister, I shall report on it.

Vladimir Putin: When was it to be presented in the Government?

Andrei Fursenko: It was to be presented two weeks ago. But the President issued an order to establish two Federal Universities. It was suggested that we should follow up on the programme taking into account the financing of the Federal Universities. We have done it. The programme has been coordinated with the Finance Ministry, which was important for boosting investment, and with the Ministry of Economic Development. Now it is at the Ministry of Justice. We expect that it be ready within two weeks, and we'll present it in the Government for adoption.

Vladimir Putin: Good. I hope you'll meet the deadline you mentioned.

Yury Osipov: Mr Putin, could I add something? We discussed the programme at a Council meeting. This programme is very important. In our view, building housing for young scientists is one of the programme's key elements. We have thrashed out this problem with Mr Fursenko. If we could negotiate the matter with the Regional Development Ministry, we could build cheap housing on the land that belongs to the Academy of Sciences. This housing would be given to young scientists, and after they have worked for five years, they would be able to pay off the mortgage at the builders' cost. It won't require too much. If, say, 2,000 young scientists were given flats, it would, without a doubt, change the situation radically.

Vladimir Putin: Let's think it over. We should either launch a separate programme, or include it in the Housing National Priority Project.

Andrei Fursenko: We could do it in the framework of the Housing National Priority Project. We have the opportunity. We'll prepare the proposals. I think Mr Kozak will support the programme. At least I know that Ms Nabiullina regards the housing for young scientists as a crucial matter. We have addressed the dormitory issue in the framework of the programme for training the scientific staff. It would have quite an impact if we supplemented it with the programme of building housing for young scientists in St Petersburg and in the regions rather that in Moscow alone.

Vladimir Putin: So, Mr Fursenko, could you prepare the proposals together with the Academy of Sciences, and report on the matter?

Andrei Fursenko: Yes, sir.