In the context of innovations and digital technologies, human capital has become one of the factors of regional growth and the elimination of interregional disparities. Human capital is a set of extremely heterogeneous components – from average health indicators to characteristics of the structure of specializations and the degree of qualification of workers. The research purpose is to assess the role of human resources engaged in research and development (R&D) in regional growth. The study verifies the significance of the digital transformation in determining the degree of influence of such human resources. A lot of studies have noted that the implementation of human capital depends on the level of industrial development and the degree of urbanization of the region. The absorptive capacity of organizations – the ability to adapt and apply new technologies, especially digital ones – is also associated with the level of agglomeration development. The authors consider the impact of the demand for R&D and the pace of change in organizations’ efforts to implement digital technologies on the regional economies. Particular attention was paid to the dynamics of the number of R&D personnel. The statistical data were analyzed using a dynamic panel data model. The study showed that the demand for R&D and the capital intensity of research personnel, in interaction with the pace of digital transformation of the Russian economy, have a positive impact on the development of the regions of the Volga Federal District. The presence of concomitant structural changes in research personnel was also noted.