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Skolkovo: the brain attraction
Published: 01 July, 2010, 18:29
Edited: 12 October, 2010, 10:43
TAGS: Russia, SciTech, Politics, Law, Information Technology, Modernization
Russia intends to “import brains” from abroad to its Skolkovo innovation center, to be built near Moscow, Vladislav Surkov, the Presidential Executive Office’s First Deputy Chief of Staff has said.
”We should make it a habit [for foreigners] that it is normal to come and work in Russia,” Surkov, who also heads the working group on creating the modern scientific centre in Skolkovo. According to the official, despite all the clichés about Russia outside the country, everything can be overcome.
"As soon as the first window is broken through, dozens and hundreds of people will start arriving, and later it will be happening naturally,” he said as quoted be Interfax agency.
He was speaking Thursday at the State Duma discussions of legislative guarantees for Russia’s ambitious high-tech project.
The deputy head of the Medvedev administration underlined that Skolkovo should be internationalized. Best specialists should be working in the center – no matter where they come from. Therefore, the “import of brains, import of specialists, not only local ones,” is crucial. He recalled that the government allocated grants to attract foreign scientists to work in Russia, while companies inviting specialists from abroad allow them get financial support from the state.
If the most talented people are not selected to work for Skolkovo it is doomed to failure, Surkov said. He added that special bodies might be created to focus exactly on headhunting.
Meanwhile, on July 1, a new law came into force which makes it simpler for highly-qualified specialists – those who earn over 2 million rubles (about $65,000) a year – to get a work permit in Russia.
As with anything connected with the most up-to-date technologies, Skolkovo is going to be rather a pricy project: 60 billion rubles (about $2 billion) of public and private investments will be required in next three years.
"Our estimate is this: over three years we shall need about 50-60 billion rubles for this project," the head of the Skolkovo the co-ordinating council, businessman Viktor Vekselberg, told the media, writes Itar-Tass. He underlined that he was referring "not only to state funds, we will strive to maximize our fundraising partners."
"Our task is to achieve 50/50 co-financing by public and private contributors within five years," he added.
Vladislav Surkov touched upon the tricky money issue as well. “We have been taught for a long while that science should be paying back. It is a lie,” he stated. Without financing from the state, he went on, “even such free and super-rich economy as the American cannot create new technology.”
It is a common practice everywhere in the world, Surkov said, for the state to co-finance projects. Therefore, the situation when the state helps large companies to start new ventures is normal, he added.
The Skolkovo scientific center might be just the beginning. According to State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov, duplication of innovation will be practiced there.
"Without transition to an innovative economy, we will not be able to fulfill those tasks which were outlined in the development strategy through 2020, particularly a labor productivity growth four- to fivefold," he said, Itar-Tass quotes.
Gryzlov said that Skolkovo is a perfect idea, but it is important “that it can be tested as a standard for the creation of such centers in Russia.” All necessary legal bases will be laid down in order to duplicate such centers, he said.
30.06.2010, 21:36
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Bogdanov, At last some attempt at comprehension of someones statements! Now this isn't a spoon feeding school, so take the next step and do research. Then come back with aternate ideas, concepts.. that are honed - then we can discuss! But gladly I go away on vacation, so its bye for a while.
Count Cash, What does "multidimensional invention" mean? I mean, the one which "comes from all levels". I guess, you already start inventing things... even before Slolkovo is built. Also, I think, I may ask you to elaborate to this: ".. Research, we know it has to be balanced between blue sky and industry trajectories"? Where is the trajectory of the blue sky? How it looks like? For me the whole sky is just blue, sometimes with clouds. May be I just do not use proper angle or look at it from the wrong perspective? Now, you said: a) "It is simply a totally out of touch view that modern economies do not need well funded research". Who is arguing this? I am not. b) "... small scale cannot compete with government aided programs going forward". You may be wrong on that. Non-government companies may have very impressive size and conduct more research than some government-controlled. Though, of course, they try to avoid fundamental research as it just drains money without big return. c) "The US actually recognise this, and recognise they are becoming at a disadvantage, against other countries government assisted research programs". Really? Would you, please, be more specific about those countries? And were did you get that information that the US government does not fund research programs? d) " aligning ourselves with the international benchmarks for how modern research should be conducted". Where are they, those benchmarks? Are they published somewhere? I means, as a researcher, I should know if I am aligned or not, shouldn't I? e) "But people will ask about return on ivestment, and in a transparent way that has to be shown. The use of KPIs can greatly help in this process, using metrics such as patents and know how generated, as a reaearch stage measure". Firstly, Russians are humble -- they will not ask. They just swallow it as usual. Secondly, patents is exactly what Russians taxpayers are looking forward of getting...
Haven donates talents to every person with different skill. I think that the eduacation is just pull up with a person's talent. Talent is not only created by the education, but education makes a person to imitate the talent! There are many talented people in the world. Some people do not find our their talnets, Some people find their talent and a few person uses his talent in real world. These days many countries are trying to get closed offset strategy to their technology and business. It makes that a very few people adopt their talents totheir work. Compnies hide those important people. It is very hard to find our the specialists to adopt those speciallist to Russian Silicon Valley. But there are many talented people in the world that they are not used in every countries because of political reasons which is lining up to some political fields and company's security reasons. These not-used talented people are more brilliant than the used talented people. And the number of the not-used talented people are overwhelming the number of used talented people. The limitation of the used telented people is the ultimately specialized job field which used talented people no not escape so that this kind worlking areas makes the used talented people to be no more than a common people. No more talented people. No more than talented people. Blocked by the working areas. If Russia would find out talented person, it would be better to find out the not-used talented people who have wisdoms and the view point to the future world. These days international business is not developped rapidly. Why? Moneytary problems? Frankly speaking, it relies upon a little bit. But the main reason why is that the not-used talented people do not use their talents to the world. Think about it!And then you will find out easily. It would be better to find out the not-used talented people in the world who have a vision of future world and wisdom to creative thoughts.