Transitional age limit rules confirmed by Duma

Russia's State Duma has adopted the second version of a bill to limit the age of the country's scientific leaders, which will give existing directors the opportunity to see out their terms.

The bill was adopted by the lower house of parliament at the second reading, according to an article by the Russian news agency TASS, published by the Russian Academy of Sciences. The approved version introduces an upper age limit of 65 for directors of national research organisations, but says that directors who are already in place can see out their contracts for a maximum of 3 years or stay in place until they are 70 years old.

The original plans, proposed in June, suggested that senior officials over the age limit should be removed from their positions without any transitional arrangement. However, policymakers and scientists expressed concern that this would limit the capabilities of the organisations, because so many senior leaders would be laid off at once.