The authorities are working on an array of incentives to lure back Russian scientists who have gone to work abroad, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
"The intellectual product -- well trained people, valuable specialists - it is basically a commodity," he said.
"It goes where there are better opportunities, where there are the best possible conditions for them to apply their knowledge and expertise."
Russia can provide such conditions, Putin said.
"I personally know people who have worked years abroad and are now returning to Russia," he said, adding however that the reverse trend has not as yet acquired a mass scale.
Providing conditions for research is a priority, Putin said, adding that wages were a significant but not a decisive factor.
"Being able to buy an apartment and build a family life is no less important," he said.
