Legal and environmental factors hindering the development of scientific and technical cooperation in SCO countries

The present work is devoted to the analysis of problems in development of international scientific and technical cooperation between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member-states. Among the main factors that determine the development of scientific and technological sphere, the most important are legal factors, the detailed analysis of which is presented for each member state of Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The study of legal factors hindering the development of scientific and technological cooperation is based on the peculiarities of national legal regulation of scientific and innovation activity and the shortcomings of international agreements within the SCO. The authors identify both internal and external legal factors that influence the development of international scientific and technological collaboration. The authors consider the state of legal regulation of national science and technology policy and the legal status of organizations involved in the development of science as internal legal factors. External legal factors include the existence of bilateral treaties between the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization regulating scientific and technological cooperation, as well as the content of multilateral treaties on scientific and technological cooperation between all member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Based on the results of the study, the authors conclude that it is necessary to harmonize the national legislation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries on the issues of legal regulation of scientific and technological cooperation, as well as to consolidate at the international level the legal mechanisms for implementation of certain aspects of cooperation in the scientific and technological fields.