Members of the Association of European Businesses are considering joining Skolkovo

The participants of the Round Table “AEB-Skolkovo Partnership” organized by AEB Machine Building & Engineering Committee and Working Group on Modernization and Innovation discussed what it really means to be a foreign partner of Skolkovo. The members of AEB who are thinking about joining their colleagues from Alstom, Siemens, and Schneider Electric in Skolkovo discussed the experience of the existing partners of the Foundation.

The AEB partners gave a general overview of the Skolkovo project and led the discussion on the possibilities for future cooperation. Michael Akim, Chairman of the AEB Working Group on Modernization and Innovations, Director for Strategic Development, ABB Russia, said: “This event is an important step in the program of the AEB Working Group on modernization and innovations dedicated to improve conditions for R&D activities for European companies in the Russian Federation, establish connections with leading research and educational organizations, develop regulation and legislation base. Our mission is to help to define most promising directions for activities of AEB companies with Skolkovo.”

Philippe Pegorier, President of Alstom Russia shared the experience of Alstom’s participation in Skolkovo and expressed high hopes for the project: “The fact that three out of four our activities, Transport, Thermal Power and Grid, will be represented in Skolkovo proves that for us it is a project we pin our hopes on. Physically, we will share premises with Transmashholding, our Russian strategic partner in transport, which is planning to build an R&D center in there. To my mind, it is rather symbolic for Alstom, localizing its production and transferring its technologies in Russia, to share say "board and lodging" with its Russian partner in Skolkovo.”

Vasily Belov, Senior Vice-President of the Skolkovo Foundation for Innovations, made a report on the results of the Foundation activity in 2013 for the members of AEB. He highlighted that Skolkovo has more than 1000 residents that created over 13 000 high-tech jobs, which is very valuable for the Russian economy. “Over 30 large companies signed partnership agreements with the Foundation and are ready to invest in construction of their R&D centers in Skolkovo. It is expected that 3500 people will work there”, said Belov.

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