The article attributes the first hand enquiries of the development of the Russian north, which makes up the basis of strategic planning and forecasting on federal and regional levels. Formulated are the priorities of social and ecological politics. Defined are the main requirements towards the methods of defining the national strategies and the politics of the north.

The basic problems of development of socio-demographic sphere in Russia at the present stage are considered. The methodical approach to a research of socio-demographic safety of territories is presented. The condition and dynamics of change of socio-demographic safety in regions of Russia for the period of 2000 − 2006 is shown, the basic threats and tendencies of their change are analysed. The forecast of the basic parameters of demographic sphere for the period up to 2015 on an example of Sverdlovsk region is executed.

A concept of national safety under expansion of informational economics was established. Dominating role of science and high technologies was considered and concretized for a subsystem of economic security. The problems and means of glossary construction, innovation policy, legislative control, and financing of scientific efforts were discussed.