Putin pledges $25 bln in state funding for high-tech projects

MOSCOW, August 20 (RIA Novosti) - Around 600 billion rubles ($25 bln) will be earmarked for a series of high-tech programs until 2010, Russia's prime minister said Wednesday at a conference on science and education.

"We have never provided this sort of money for such purposes before," Vladimir Putin said.

The Russian premier also announced that a five-year program for fundamental research worth 250 billion rubles ($10.2 billion) had been approved.

The program should boost Russia's socio-economic development and enhance its security, Putin said.

He criticized the Russian research sphere for dependency on federal budget funding and insufficient cooperation with education, and urged measures to develop the commercial potential of research.