Competing for the Future of Russia

Vladimir Putin actuates creation of Nanocity in Novosibirsk with the scientific potential, which would outshine Skolkovo.

Yesterday, President Dmitry Medvedev instructed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the first deputy head of his administration Vladislav Surkov to develop proposals on the legal regime of the establishment and functioning of the Russian equivalent of Silicon Valley in Skolkovo by May 1. On April 9, at the party conference in Novosibirsk, Prime Minister Putin represents his own project. It is expected that the Siberian version of Nanocity will be realized much earlier than the president’s one. 

The orders of the Head of State were the result of the recent meeting of the Presidential Commission on Modernization, held in Khanty-Mansisk last week. Medvedev announced there that he had decided to appoint Victor Vekselberg, Head of Renova to coordinator of the project, and also ordered to establish a special legal regime to create of a new high-tech center. According to "Nezavisimaya Gazeta, up to $ 4 billion may be invested in the construction of “Innovative city”.

This mysterious special zone

Earlier, the head of state said that decided to build the Russian equivalent of Silicon Valley in Skolkovo. It should be recalled that approximately 18 areas in different parts of the country where an innovative city could be located have been represented to Medvedev’s choice. However, most of them are in private ownership. Only two areas belong to the state - in Skolkovo and Dubna. Medvedev made the choice in favor of public lands. And he decided to build in Skolkovo because according to him, there is a good start. The President explained that he counted on rapid implementation of the project. Nevertheless, it will take from 3 to 8 month to implement the project.

Prime Minister Putin and the first deputy head of Kremlin administration Vladislav Surkov are assigned by May 1 "to submit proposals for the legal regime of the establishment and functioning of territorially separate complex for the development of research, development and commercialization of their results, including in the area of taxation, customs and tariff regulation and administrative (including migration) procedures”. Apparently, the President acts quickly with liberalization of immigration laws to attract foreign experts. The construction project of the Russian equivalent of Silicon Valley in fact, can be considered as international, as together with Vekselberg it will be coordinated by foreign partners . At the meeting of the committee on the modernization Medvedev said: "I spent a certain part of consultations on this subject with my colleagues - the leaders of several foreign countries. They promised to help, anyhow by advice. It is also important”.

Official Representative of the President in the State Duma Harry Minh told The Nezavisimaya Gazeta that the status of Skolkovo would become clear after the order of the head of state will be executed. Minh is sure that the proposals for this status must be truly comprehensive. However, he noted that the reference to migration laws in the order of Dmitry Medvedev most likely linked to the plans at the invitation of foreign teachers. Chairman of the State Duma committee on legislation Pavel Krasheninnikov said that since the center of Skolkovo won’t be only a separate city, but a special institution, the problems with his special status should not arise. "The Civil Code allows for the adoption of certain laws referring to individual institutions", - he said. Krasheninnikov stressed that because of the fact that the time period of the preparation of proposals is set very short, it means that "the decision didn’t started from nothing, now we need to make the latest agreements”.

The Head of the Committee did not shut out that the status of Skolkovo would be approved by a special law, which will reflect the various types of law enforcement.

Premiership project

Meanwhile, Putin may represent his own innovative city under the patronage of the "United Russia" and it will be in Novosibirsk. It is expected that this will be announced at the second part of the party conference "On the development of Siberia, 2010-2012", which will be held in this city at the end of next week. Originally it was planned that the Prime Minister will speak and endorse the most promising projects in Krasnoyarsk, where the conference started on Monday. The Forum as known, was organized by the personal initiative of the Prime Minister. Putin was to be the central figure of the event. However, his plans were disturbed by the attacks in the Moscow Metro. The premiere had to urgently fly to Moscow. Although he did not refuse to participate in party activities, and now realizes his plans in Novosibirsk.

Moreover, the prime minister's version, unlike the president’s one includes a system of Nanocities. In Krasnoyarsk the members of interrupted by terrorist act conference discussed the projects submitted by the regions of Siberian Federal District. All of them will be implemented over the next two years. Actual innovation centers in the Tomsk region, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk will be united under the authority of the Novosibirsk Technopark, which thus can become a mega innovative city.

The project on Nanocity in Novosibirsk is already ready.

It is expected that this particular project will be recognized as one of the winners at the party conference. In Krasnoyarsk, there was a presentation of the program to establish the technological infrastructure of Technopark of the Novosibirsk Academgorodok. This will be the scientific and technological, educational and innovative complex. The main directions of development - education and science, high technology industry and innovative business. There will be established Instrument Cluster there. It will include the Center for Technological Support, Engineering Center, contract manufacturing, training center and the Center for custom innovations. Some project sites of Technopark of Innovation Academgorodok have been already built. By September of this year it is planned to complete construction of residential houses for scientists. And in 2011, 60500 square meters of specialized areas will be put into operation. Corporation Rusnano, SibAcademInnovation" the company "SibAcademSoft" and others participate in the creation of Technopark. Thus, Putin may get his own Innovative city in a much shorter time, literally in the next two years.


Director of the International Institute of Political Expertise Evgeny Minchenko believes that in terms of PR Skolkovo is not the most successful project: "It will be built for a long time, and it is unclear where it will have electoral sense. There are already many complaints against this project. Unfortunately, some of the comments are baseless. " Novosibirsk project from the electoral point of view, in the opinion of the expert, looks more effectively.


Head of the Institute of Globalization Problems Mikhail Delyagin believes that both projects are similar to the "Potemkin villages": "The one is Putin’s one and the other Medvedev’s one”. Of course we can the rivalry between the two leaders. It is obvious that there will be nothing in Skolkovo. There are two reasons for this: first, Surkov said that only in the second half of the next year, if all goes well, detailed project report will be given. A year will be spent on the development of the project, and then it will be slowly implemented. Authorities do not understand that there is a negative corporate culture in Skolkovo. There is a famous business school, attended by the alleged future masters of life. So, there is the school, but there is no building for it. Therefore, children who study there, live in a hotel "Baltimore". They study there. Naturally, it blows their roof: they sincerely believe that their they succeed in life, that they are masters of life is the first year. As for Novosibirsk, it can constructed everything there, and even faster than by the elections of 2012. But it is necessary that there are people doing something. "

"While there are scientists who may be put in jail for collaboration with foreigners on suspicion of espionage, while they saw the money earmarked for research, nothing will happen", - the expert believes. He believes that the problem is not in science, "but in the state, the essence of which is corruption”.


Author: Elina Bilevskaya, Ivan Rodin

Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta