Speaking at the plenary session titled, "Technology That Changes The World," Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said that the Government's role in developing an innovative environment is to establish new institutions, to provide funding, to protect competition, and to reduce risks. Reducing risks, he said, means not only administrative and corruption risks, but also risks connected with adopting breakthrough technology, as their effects cannot be foreseen. These risks should be discussed by the new technology's creators and consumers. Moreover, the government should encourage and facilitate this dialogue.
Speaking of new institutions, Mr Dvorkovich said that various such institutions have been created recently, including the Foundation for Prospective Research and Initiatives, which is similar to the U.S. Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Mr Dvorkovich added that the Government must ensure a competitive environment in the high-tech sectors of the economy, especially as Russia has already joined the World Trade Organisation.
"We have no right to just be complacent and take advantage of what was created before us," he said.
As part of the Open Innovations forum, the Deputy Prime Minister also visited the RUSNANO and Sverdlovsk Region exhibitions. The latter is dedicated to Russia's bid to host the World Expo 2020 in Yekaterinburg.