Russia boosts science funding

MOSCOW, May 29 (UPI) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the country will spend $25 billion on scientific research over the next three years.

Putin said the Russian government has allocated substantial resources for research in the areas of nano and biotechnology, nuclear energy, aerospace and other research between 2008 and 2010, RIA Novosti reported Thursday.

The announcement was made at a meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which has seen its funding grow from $1.6 billion in 2007 to around $1.9 billion this year.