The Skolkovo Foundation and IBM announced the signing of a commercial agreement under which IBM is licensing to the Foundation a number of techniques for the organization and development of the innovation process. IBM will also train employees of the Foundation and leading Russian patent professionals, selected through an open competition, in international best practice for research commercialization.
The project aims to increase the level of training in the field of patent regulation in Russia, to promote the widespread dissemination of best international practices in this area, as well as reduce staff shortages. Independent program participants will be selected in a nationwide contest, announced in June 2012 by the Skolkovo Foundation and the Russian State Academy of Intellectual Property. It is expected that graduates of the program will continue to implement the acquired knowledge both in the public and private sectors. A number of graduates will be offered jobs at the Skolkovo Centre for Intellectual Property.
The Skolkovo Foundations and IBM have been cooperating for more than a year, when Skolkovo Foundation President Viktor Vekselberg and IBM Senior Vice President Bruno Di Leo signed an agreement at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum 2011. The agreement outlined the general direction of interaction between the parties, including IBM’s commitment to provide expert support in shaping the Skolkovo’s ecosystem of innovation. The first commercial agreement on the transfer of expertise from IBM intellectual property management to the Skolkovo Foundation was signed in December last year.
IBM
IBM is the world leader in innovation and has ranked no.1 in the number of patents for 19 consecutive years. IBM’s research involves more than 8,000 IBM employees from 36 countries, and the company's annual investment in this sector exceeded $ 6 billion. IBM has an extensive expertise in intellectual property management. For more information: http://www.ibm.com/ru
The Skolkovo Foundation
The Skolkovo Foundation has the mandate from the Russian Government to help accelerate the transformation of Russia from a resource-intensive to an innovation-based economy through strategic partnerships with leading scientists and corporations (currently numbering 500 companies and start ups). The Foundation aims to strengthen the links between Russian and international science, technology, education, entrepreneurship and investment communities. To achieve this objective it is overseeing the creation of the Skolkovo Innovation Centre composed of five R&D clusters, a Technopark, the Skolkovo Institute of Technology (a new graduate research university established in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Skolkovo City, located near Moscow. Together these entities will establish a vibrant eco-system of technological innovation and entrepreneurship. The Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded in May 2010 by the Russian Government with a grant of $5 billion. For more information: http://www.sk.ru/en/