"The tremendous intellectual potential of Russia remains today unwanted, or paid 'kopecks'", he said.
He believes that Russia should develop an environment breeding knowledge. At its nucleus are the institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, he added.
He sees among the priority goals of the Education and Science Ministry the support for the institutes which are competitive world-wide.
The academic community, but "never officials", should itself chose the priorities, he thinks.
One priority of the Academy of Sciences and his ministry is, to Fursenko, the preservation and development of schools of science. "We'll give it maximum of attention", he stressed.
Fursenko supported the idea, voiced by the Academy president Yuri Isipov, of "innovation belts" and firms to introduce scientific developments into production for "the commercialisation of knowledge".
"Innovation belts" should be created around the fundamental nucleus of the institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences", believes the acting education minister.
The key role in creating a knowledge-based economy is, in his view, to be played by the integration between higher school and academic science. "We have already begun such work with the Novosibirsk University", Fursenko said.
He also said that the government is preparing "a detailed package of draft laws for creating a system of protection of intellectual property, which will be finalised before the year end".
Fursenko asked the Academy of Sciences to give much attention and support to school education, from preparing textbooks to grassroots work of scientists with schoolchildren.
