Saint Petersburg, July 16, 2016 – The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is delighted to announce that it has today signed an agreement at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, to launch a project to create a Russian Centre for medical robots and develop their industrial production in China.
Viktor Vekselberg, President of Skolkovo Foiudation, Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of RDIF, and Qu Chao, co-chairman of RCIF, at the p ress-conference dedicated to the signging of agreement on the new Russia-China Centre for Medical Robots
This significant project was established by Russian scientists from the Institute of Design-Engineering Informatics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKTI RAS) jointly with the Department of Urology of Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry (MSUMD), with the assistance of Russia’s Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations (FASO). Partners in the project include the SKOLKOVO Foundation and Xixian Fengdong, a Chinese Technopark, as well as Panther Healthcare, which specialises in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of surgical devices and instruments in China.
In conjunction with MSUMD’s Department of Urology, a team from IKTI RAS has developed an innovative concept for surgical robots, which will introduce new solutions to improve control mechanisms and the interaction between robots and surgeons. Under this new design concept, the robots have a number of unique features including being more compact, lighter and able to move with greater precision than existing models available. Production and maintenance costs are also much lower.
The new concept will form the basis of the new Russia-China Centre for Medical Robots. The Centre will be located at the SKOLKOVO Technopark and will focus on scientific research, design work, and software development, as well as the production of technologically complex robot components in Russia.
The next stage of the project will oversee the establishment of these medical robots in China in close cooperation with a number of Chinese partners, including Panther Healthcare as well as other Chinese investors, and medical institutions. Through partnership with the Xixian Fengdong Technopark, a platform will be created in China to facilitate manufacture on an industrial scale with the use of leading Russian technologies and the most efficient production solutions. It will also offer a global sales and maintenance capability.
Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), noted:
“This exciting project in the important field of medical robotics will enable Russia and China to combine their scientific, technological, and industrial expertise. This project is unique, not only in terms of the invention itself, but in building a mechanism for its further development in a significant new market. It is a great example of how leading Russian inventions and technologies can capitalize on an opportunity to enter one of the biggest markets in the world in close cooperation with supportive international partners.”
Viktor Vekselberg, President of the SKOLKOVO Foundation, said:
“Robotic surgery will become one of the main areas of growth in medicine’s hi-tech sector in the next decade. Experts predict that by 2021, that sector will be worth more than $20 billion. At Skolkovo, we have for several years been supporting disruptive projects by Russian engineers and doctors, and those projects have every chance of becoming leaders in this field. We plan for Skolkovo to provide up to 150 million rubles ($2.3 million) in grant financing for the Russian-Chinese centre for medical robots.”
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The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) was established in 2011 to make equity investments alongside leading international financial and strategic investors, primarily in Russia. The fund acts as catalyst for direct investment in Russia’s economy. Additional information can be found at: www.rdif.ru
The Skolkovo Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in September 2010 by the Russian government with the objective of accelerating Russia’s transformation from a resource-intensive to an innovation-based economy. To achieve this objective, the Foundation is overseeing the creation of the Skolkovo Innovation Center, composed of more than 1,400 high-tech startups, Skolkovo Technopark, the Skolkovo Institute of Technology (Skoltech) - a new graduate research University established in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - and Skolkovo city, located near Moscow. Together, these entities establish a vibrant ecosystem of technology innovation and entrepreneurship. Fifty global corporations including Boeing, Cisco Systems, EADS, GE, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Siemens, Nokia, Samsung, and Panasonic have already recognized the opportunity Skolkovo presents by signing R&D partnership agreements with the Foundation. The cumulative revenue of Skolkovo’s startups through December 2015 reached $1 billion. They brought in more than $270 million in investment, creating 17,500 jobs and filing over 1,800 patent applications along the way. By 2020 over 2 million square meters of residential and office space will be built in Skolkovo with 35,000 people working daily in the Innovation Center. For more information: http://www.sk.ru/en
Panther Healthcare represents a fast-growing professional company devoting itself to R&D, manufacture and sales of surgical devices. It was founded in 2002, with a whole founding team of surgical doctors. By offering staplers, hernia fixation products, surgical sutures, surgical devices and surgical equipments applied extensively in general surgery, thoracic surgery, cardiac surgery and gynecology among other areas, Panther Healthcare provides all-round and specialized technical support and service, along with full range of research, production, training, sales network, and standard operations in not only China, but also in 60 different countries all over the world. Panther holds more than 200 patents. Panther Healthcare is now one of the largest surgical product provider in the industry, which went public in May 2016. Additional information can be found at: http://www.pantherhealthcare.com/en
For additional information contact: Maria Medvedeva
Russian Direct Investment Fund
Director, Media Relations Department
Tel: +7 495 644 34 14, ext. 2141
Mobile: +7 964 726 17 73
E-mail: mm@rdif.ru
Skolkovo
Taisiya Yarmak
+79166948826
tyarmak@sk.ru