The issue of inclusion of the subprogram ‘Creation and Development of the Innovation Center ‘Skolkovo’ into the government program ‘Economic Development and Innovative Economy’ was discussed at today’s meeting of the Russian Government. This program, approved by the Government decree of March 29, 2013, envisages the creation of a favorable business climate and conditions, an increase of its innovational activity and government administration efficiency as its objective.
Aleksei Ulyukaev, Minister of Economic Development, was the keynote speaker on the issue. According to him, the subprogram implementation will make it possible to develop and implement mechanisms of proliferation of a system of skills and knowledge on formation of innovative ecosystems aimed at ensuring all necessary conditions for support and control of high-tech companies development. Creation of necessary conditions and prerequisites for distribution of the matured experience in support of studies and commercialization of their results in Russia is supposed.
Aleksei Ulyukaev recalled that the objective of the Skolkovo project was the creation of a model ecosystem for supporting the development of studies and formulations and commercialization of their results. It is expected that the project will not only make a substantial contribution into the development of innovative economy in Russia, but also create a basis for distribution of successful experience in support of innovations.
The agenda of the government meeting included the discussion of the interim results of the project ‘Skolkovo’ implementation obtained less than in three years. In this period almost 1,000 start-ups have been attracted into the Skolkovo ecosystem – and now it is more than 13,000 of workplaces. In the first term of 2013 the revenues of companies participating in Skolkovo exceeded 4.6 billion of rubles, and 204 applications for intellectual property assets registration were lodged. The previous year’s participants of the Skolkovo project, according to the Russian Agency for Patents and Trademarks, became the authors of a quarter of all applications for intellectual property registration lodged in Russia in the selected five priority technologic development areas. Participants in the discussion emphasized the high quality of the subprogram elaboration – in specification, definition of objectives, description of results and risks. It was noted that the efficiency indicators, qualitatively chosen taking into account the international experience, were clearly stated in the subprogram.
Aleksei Ulyukaev for his part said that it was planned to allocate 135.6 billion rubles from the government budget towards financing the subprogram ‘Creation and Development of the Innovation Ecosystem ‘Skolkovo’ until 2020. He underlined that the Subprogram did not increase the current financing as it allowed continuing the project support in the period from 2015 to 2020. Aleksei Ulyukaev also pointed out that the federal budget funds will make only 27% of the total amount of the ‘Creation and Development of the Innovation Center ‘Skolkovo’ subprogram financing. Another part will be allocated from the attracted extrabudgetary resources.
The government has set the primary criteria for evaluation of the Skolkovo project efficiency. These include the amount of international patents and intellectual property registration applications, revenues of the participants, amount of private investments, terms of the market entry and the integral contribution of the project to the Russian economy. It is planned that by 2020 a successful, operational and effective innovative ecosystem and a platform for scaling the experience in operational management, innovation centers development and formation of the favorable conditions for studies development and commercialization will be created. Skolkovo will continue its active participation in the development of regional innovation clusters as optimal platforms for commercialization of developments.
By 2020 the implementation of the subprogram will result in at least 50 operational centers of R&D, over 1,000 start-ups, a university of the world level and the necessary infrastructure creation in the framework of the Skolkovo project. The integral contribution of the project to the Russian economy will exceed 200 billion rubles by 2020, and 360 billion rubles will be invested into the Skolkovo project by private businesses.
In the result of the discussion it was decided to accept the new edition of the government program ‘Economic Development and Innovative Economy’ including the subprogram for Skolkovo.
‘We can speak of this day as being historic, - said the President of the Skolkovo Foundation Viktor Vekselberg. – ‘Today’s decision of the Russian government means a high opinion and appreciation of the results that we have obtained in less than three years and at the same time it shows faith in the future of the Skolkovo project. Its integral contribution to the Russian economy will exceed budgetary allocations and reach 213 billion rubles by 2020. We will be able to fully evaluate the efficiency of the investments into the project by 2030 when it will gain full operational capacity. According to the pre-estimates, the contribution of the project into the GDP will make up to 1.5 trillion rubles.’
Skolkovo Foundation
Fund for Development of the Center for Elaboration and Commercialization of New Technologies ‘Skolkovo’ is a non-profit organization created at the initiative of the Russian President in September 2010. The objective of the Fund is mobilization of Russia’s resources in the field of modern applied research, creation of a favorable environment for the implementation of scientific developments in the five priority areas of technologic development: power economy and energy efficiency, space, biomedicine, nuclear and computer technologies. The project involves the creation of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), research institutions, a business incubator, a center for technology transfer and commercialization, representative offices of foreign companies and R&D-centers, residential accommodation and social infrastructure, and also the subsequent implementation of the effective mode in other innovative regions of Russia. The operation of the Skolkovo innovation center is governed by a special law which provides its residents with special economic conditions.
Roman ScherbakovChief of the Skolkovo Foundation press officeTel.: +7 (495) 967 01 48, ext. 2260Fax: +7 (495) 967 01 96E-mail: rs@sk.ruwww.sk.ru