The Main Changes in the Russian Legislation in Science and Technology in 2021

Introduction. Currently, in the context of the ongoing coronavirus pan­demic, major changes are taking place, including in the scientific and technical area. The law, as a social institution, also undergoes trans­formations determined by internal and external factors. However, such changes, as a result of which the legislation changes, do not always fully reflect the dynamics and orientation of social processes. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to identify important changes in the Russian legislation in the scientific and technical area for 2021. The subject of the study is the main changes in the Russian legislation in the field of science and innovation that occurred in the period from January to December 2021. Monitoring Tools. The methodological basis is the dialectical method. The study employs general scientific (analytical, systematic, functional), special-purpose (sociological), and specific scientific (formal legal, the method of interpretation of legal rules) methods. The materials collected as part of the analysis are con­ditionally divided in this article in the following areas: public adminis­tration in the scientific and technical field, state policy in the scientific, technical and innovative areas, the results of intellectual activity in the scientific and technical field and the organisation of the activities of the scientific field and the field of higher education. Results. The anal­ysis of legislative changes carried out in these areas will be useful both for lawyers who apply these laws, and for researchers or teachers of higher education who encounter the provisions of the regulations in question in their professional activities Conclusion. Based on the re­sults of this article, it is concluded that most of the changes that have affected the scientific and technical sphere relate to changes in by-laws that specify the norms of laws, taking into account the decisions made by the President of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Russian Federation.