THE ASSESSMENT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS OF RUSSIA AND BELARUS
The article evaluates the development of regional innovation systems (RIS) of Russia and Belarus within formation of the Union state. Special attention is paid to the problems of unification a factors, criteria and metrics of evaluation. The priority of methodology for the assessment of the RIS development should be ensuring that its relationship with a regional innovation policy, as well as the possibility of a differential and integral assessments of the effectiveness of the elements of RIS. Based on the results of the international studies the author argues that the development of RIS is closely linked to the efficiency of «triple helix», the activity of the elements which should also be the basis for the establishment of criteria and indicators of the efficiency of RIS. The article is focused on the challenges and potential intensification of innovative activity of the elements of the RIS at the interregional level due to the integration effects that arise in the format of the Union state. In the study presents an integrated evaluation of the development innovation systems of the countries-participants of the Union state at the national and regional levels, and formulated some conclusions to update further research in this subject area.