Abstract: The researchers have studied aspects of sustainable development of economic systems and come to a conclusion that a public-private partnership is one of the viable instruments ensuring sustainability. This is especially important for the R&D sphere which is a driver of development and achievement of goals of sustainable development. Russia makes use of international experience in establishing a system of public-private partnerships, nevertheless there are problems hindering the process. The present article gives a comparative analysis of the forms of partnerships, key problems of their development in Russia and the ways of their improvement in the near future.