During the visit to the Netherlands, held from 26 to 27 June, the President of the Skolkovo Foundation Viktor Vekselberg negotiated with representatives of the government of the Netherlands, as well as he met the heads of the corporations, working in the field of high-tech systems and materials. The purpose of the visit was expansion of cooperation with the Netherlands in the sphere of innovations, establishing contacts with Dutch companies, research organizations and investors.
Members of the delegation are representatives of clusters and technoparks Skolkovo - visited scientific and educational institutions (University of Twente, biopark "Leiden"), parks (Technopark "Breynport" in Eindhoven), high-technology centers ("Delta Medical" in Rotterdam and Delft. Representatives of the cluster energy efficiency headed by Executive Director Vasily Belov also visited the Center of the optimization of the oil and gas industry in the city of Delft and in «Energy valley» (Groningen)
As a result, Skolkovo Foundation and leading in the Netherlands, the University of Groningen signed a Memorandum of cooperation in academic and scientific sphere. The signing of the Memorandum took place at the opening of the Russian-Dutch conference «Bioenergy in Russia: development Trends and the Russian-Dutch cooperation». At the signing of the Memorandum attended the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte and the first Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation In. A. Zubkov.
It is assumed that the scientists of the two countries will meet to exchange experience and study of the scientific-technical developments and technologies. The Memorandum provides for the establishment of laboratories in Russia and the Netherlands for joint research, search for partners and potential investors.
The Open University of Skolkovo will involve the employees and the partners of the University of Groningen in organization of lectures and seminars. Joint research projects are planning in the areas of health and biological sciences, energy and environment, nuclear technologies.
Viktor Vekselberg noted that the Netherlands, appears to be one of the most developed in the technological relation to the countries of Europe, represents Russia's considerable interest as a partner in the field of innovative development. President of the Skolkovo Foundation reported that 69 companies-participants have already received grants totaling $ 325 million. Agreements with 40 venture companies and funds, pledged to invest in projects 511 million dollars. In the list of key partners of the Skolkovo Foundation includes more than 20 international corporations.
In turn, the Vice-President of the Skolkovo Foundation on the development of international partnership Conor Lenihan said: « the Mission of the Fund, including, is to integrate the Russian science and technology in the global economy and diversify the Russian economy through innovations and entrepreneurship»
After signing the Memorandum Seda Poumpyanskaya, Vice-President of the Skolkovo Foundation in international relations and public Affairs, emphasized that the current first trip presentation to the Netherlands – is the visit of the opening doors, establishing of relations". She reminded that for the last year the representatives of Skolkovo Foundation visited similar meetings devoted to search of new partners in the UK, Germany, Italy, Austria, France, and Spain. «And all these trips have opened for us new prospects for cooperation in the field of innovations. I hope that this visit will help expand the circle of our partners through a Dutch scientists, venture investors and corporations," she said. As noted Poumpyanskaya, "if first 1.5 years we were working with the United States and Central Europe, now there are actively looking at Asia, Scandinavia, we are developing Canada, thinking about China and India"
The visit of the delegation ended by the conference in Hague, the participants of which discussed the perspective directions of cooperation in the sphere of innovations, discussed the Dutch and the Russian strategy of innovative development.