By the end of next week, Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev will present the Director General of the new Agency for technological development (APR), which will begin work in July of this year. According to the results of the preliminary selection, there are only seven candidates, which will have final test – the interview with Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who heads the Board of Directors of the Agency.
The main contender for the seat of the head of the Asia-Pacific region is the Deputy Minister of Far East development Maxim shereikin. He was seen as the main candidate already at the initial stage, and after the preliminary selection, it holds the first place ranking, say sources of “Vedomosti”. In the past, shereikin was Deputy Governor of the Kaluga region. According to interlocutors of the edition, it is thanks to his efforts, Kaluga became an investment attractive city, for example, for automobile manufacturers.
Besides Serakina preliminary stage passed six of the applicants: Chairman of the Board of Directors of group of companies “varton” Denis Frolov, Director of business development in Russia and CIS, associate partner, IBM Institute for Business Value Oleg Byakhov, Executive Director Association of pharmaceutical companies “Pharmaceutical innovation” Vadim Kukava, Director of the IT cluster Fund “SKOLKOVO” Nikolai Suetin, Deputy Director of the Department of science and technology of Ministry of education and science Sergei Matveev and head of the export Department of JSC “Sollers” Nikolay Shapilov, according to “Izvestia”.
APR green light was given last year, when President Vladimir Putin, speaking with a message to the Federal Assembly agreed on the establishment of a separate organization to provide business assistance in search of domestic and foreign technology, acquisition of patents, licenses and engineering services. “Access to foreign markets, expansion of Russian products have become a natural strategy for the development of national business, the entire Russian economy”, – said Putin.
Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev stressed that the Asia-Pacific region is not created as a Federal structure, and as a nonprofit organization, which should ultimately become self-supporting. This year the Agency will receive from the budget of 200 million rubles. His work will be overseen by the Ministry of industry and trade.
The main task of the Asia-Pacific region will be the analysis of needs of Russian companies and finding suitable solutions in other countries and industries, told “Vedomosti” the President of “Business Russia” Alexey Repik. In addition, the Agency will deal with the analysis of competitors, consulting, legal and technological support for transactions. Experts from the Asia-Pacific region will help to display products on the market, to remove administrative barriers, to facilitate banks and development institutions.
It is planned that the Agency will not simply copy foreign developments, but use them as the basis for further development of the domestic industry, told “Izvestia” in “Business Russia”. Constantly will be to go work on search, selection and transfer of promising technologies. As a result of national company have to acquire the necessary competence, to draw attention on the market, and then develop own products, created at the expense of technology transfer. Sales of these products, the Agency will receive royalties, which should be for the Asia-Pacific region one of the main sources of income.
“For bringing technology to Russia we can use the advantages, such as our human capital, market access, and smart regulatory policy. If in Russia will be created more favorable conditions, more convenient conditions for running one or another technological breakthrough products, it will increase the interest of foreign owners in partnership with Russian companies”, – said Repik.
Deputy Minister of industry Gleb Nikitin told “Vedomosti” that the Agency intended to change the current situation, when almost half of the expenditure on the import of ready technologies, and the purchase of patents, licenses and know-how related to the development of new production processes, there is only 10%. According to the estimates of senior Vice-President of “SKOLKOVO” Vasily Belov innovation, in technology transfer have the greatest need energy, automotive and pharmaceutical industry.
