Effects of Participation in Domestics Mobility for Young Researchers and Lecturers

In the context of a significant reduction in international mobility for Russian scientists, the importance of domestic programs is increasing. This study aims to assess the scale of domestic academic mobility programs, create a profile of those interested in participating in such programs, and describe the outcomes of such participation using young candidates of sciences as an example. The study is based on the results of representative surveys conducted among Russian teachers, researchers, and graduate students as part of the Monitoring of the Economy of Education in June-October 2022, as well as in-depth interviews conducted with participants of Russian postdoc programs by the authors in June-September 2022. It was found that the level of domestic mobility for teachers and researchers is low: only 3% of them underwent long-term internships within the country in 2019-2021, and 3% of graduate students participated in Russian postdoc programs. The potential mobility level is also low: one-third of Russian teachers (30%) are not willing to change their place of residence for a new job. Participants of Russian postdoc programs highlight numerous positive effects of these programs, including significant growth in qualifications, acquisition of new competencies, and expansion of professional networks. However, the development of domestic academic mobility is hindered by various institutional barriers such as the closed academic environment and cautious attitude towards mobility, as well as lack of support during relocation.