INNO-Views assists the First EU-Russia Innovation Forum

Submitted by rreiner on 4 June, 2010 - 13:22

During 25-27th May more than 800 experts, officials, business people and other innovation stakeholders from Russia and Europe gathered together to the First EU-Russia Innovation Forum that was held in Lappeenranta, South-East Finland. The purpose of the event was to identify initiatives for EU-Russia modernisation partnership, in particular to its innovation area, for the preparation of the official EU-Russia Economic Summit at Rostov-on-Don this June. So far, innovation and modernisation have not been specific parts of the formal dialogues and collaboration road maps between these two economies.

Active panel discussion at the Forum (Photo by Timo Mikkola)

Modernisation and diversification of economic structures are the current priorities of the Russian economy, the same manner as maintaining the competitiveness is on the top of European policy agenda. The importance of innovation to the modernisation and competitiveness has been recognised and appreciated at the highest political levels. Addressing jointly the modernisation challenges of Russian economy had earlier been raised and agreed by Presidents Medvedev and Barroso at the Stockholm Summit in November 2009. In this regard, President Medvedev sent his written greetings to this Innovation Forum.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (Photo by Timo Mikkola)

In deed, part of the attractiveness of the EU-Russia Innovation Forum was its exceptionally high-level key note speakers and participants. The Forum was appreciated by the presence of two Prime Ministers; Vladimir Putin from the Russian Federation and Matti Vanhanen from Finland, among other ministers, high-level officials and business people.

Intensifying innovation collaboration, but aware of the challenges

There are many good reasons for boosting EU-Russia innovation collaboration. Not only is Russia the most active non-European participant in EU Framework Programmes and Europe Russia’s largest trade partner, but equally the Russian competence-base and growing markets are in the great interest of European innovative companies. There are also a number of major joint developments, such as in the fields of energy efficiency, nanotechnologies and in ICT.

EU and Russia are large and complex economies with different cultures and practices. Although over the past years there has been a positive development in their mutual collaboration, it is not a surprise that innovation collaboration between them, particularly when coming closer to markets, has still many challenges. Many of these are related to synchronising the framework conditions (legislation, trade, standards), many related to the competence, capacity and culture of innovation, some more practical such as taking better stock of existing innovation support instruments and networks.

To tackle the barriers to innovation collaboration, two preparatory expert workshops had been organised together with the INNO-Views project of Pro INNO Europe of DG Enterprise and Industry, first one held at Antwerp in April and the second one in Saint-Petersburg in May 2010. Around one hundred experts had contributed to the preparation of the policy suggestions, which were finally synthesised into the following key initiatives related to innovation policy:

Making innovation policy cooperation a top priority in the current and future EU-Russia partnership

Creating a common research and innovation environment to support innovation-based modernisation of the two economies

Enhancing existing innovation support mechanisms and improving access to business-related innovation information

Developing a dedicated programme for joint innovative actions funded and managed by the EU and Russia.

And with regard to the modernisation partnership, the proposed key initiatives were:

Modernising Russian companies in partnership with EU-company knowhow; e.g. in pharmaceutical industry

Visa-freedom; starting with business and university people from Russia and EU

Setting up pilot projects in the field of energy efficiency

Rule of law; promotion of compliance agreement –procedures

Engaging Russia in the EU Digital Agenda

These suggestions were handed over to the two Prime Ministers in the Forum, as an input to the formal negotiations at Rostov-on-Don next week. In his speech, The Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin emphasised that over the last years Russia and EU have proved they can cooperate fruitfully and that the interdependence of the two economies is becoming increasingly evident. This partnership could also be pursued further; 'Natural logic tells us that we should promote cooperation, join forces and strive for full-scale integration and an effective consolidation of the creative potential of the business and scientific communities in Russia and the European Union'.

Besides providing input to the formal negotiations, the Forum functioned as a discussion platform among stakeholders and brought about several practical examples of innovation collaboration between Europe and Russia. On the same day, a high-speed train connection was authorised between Helsinki and Saint-Petersburg, facilitating swift mobility both directions. Another example was to the joint Venture Fund by RUSNANO and Finnish Industrial Investment, which was officially inaugurated at the Forum. The informal discussions on EU-Russia innovation collaboration will continue in Saint-Petersburg forum this autumn.