A meeting of the Presidium of the Presidential Council for Economic Modernisation and Innovative Development.
Excerpts from Dmitry Medvedev’s opening remarks:
A meeting of the Presidium of the Presidential Council for Economic Modernisation and Innovative Development
The tasks that we are addressing today are not limited in their scope to a single sector. Their fulfilment in global terms is a key to the reformatting of our economy from one based on raw materials into an innovative economy.
We need diversification and new industrial technology. Despite the pressure of sanctions on the country, which has effectively closed access for us to technology in many countries, and despite the difficulties related to our domestic economic situation, these tasks must be fulfilled.
The goal of the National Technology Initiative is precisely to pave the way within the country for the development of sectors that will become leaders of the global economy. This Initiative is designed to identify among emerging markets those that meet mass consumer demand and have significant growth potential. The most important and the most challenging part here is to assess what will fly and on the other hand, to find an efficient economic mechanism that will enable these technological solutions to develop.
We should try to achieve leading positions in these sectors.
Concrete steps toward achieving this goal should be spelled out in roadmaps. Entrepreneurs from high-tech sectors and venture investors and researchers working on cutting-edge research projects are involved in developing them. The state and development institutions should provide essential support. This format will make it possible to set up efficient project teams.
We should issue a resolution on this issue no later than next Monday.
The roadmaps provide for a certain government documents to be adopted. It is essential for each roadmap, for each sector to be supervised by the relevant federal ministry. The following supervisors are proposed: the Ministry of Industry and Trade for AutoNet, AeroNet and Mari Net, and the Ministry of Education and Science for NeuroNet. These ministries should also coordinate the further implementation of measures, including the provision or organisation of financial support for the Initiative projects as part of state programmes.
The implementation of the roadmaps will begin in 2016. The draft budget provides for up to 10 billion roubles for these purposes. In the present situation, it is especially important that every targeted rouble should be invested as efficiently as possible, in truly promising projects, so the selection mechanism should be transparent and effective to the maximum degree possible.
In late October, the Open Innovations Forum will kick off, with governmental support, for the fourth time. We are inviting Russian innovators and investors, researchers, entrepreneurs and foreign guests to attend.
Day one of the forum will see the presentation of roadmaps on the development of promising markets. It can be continued with the participation of Russian and foreign experts who have been invited to the forum. I am sure that the forum events will help bring together various ideas and produce a synergy effect.
