Nice – 7 March 2012 – The Skolkovo Foundation and France’s leading research foundation, ‘Fondation FSA,’ have today signed a five-year strategic partnership agreement based on their shared conviction that competitiveness flourishes where science and innovation know no borders. The agreement - between one of Europe’s oldest and most successful scientific and technological parks with one of the continent’s newest parks in Skolkovo - represents a milestone in international scientific collaboration.
Presidents Viktor Vekselberg for the Skolkovo Foundation and Pierre Lafitte for the Fondation FSA signed the agreement during a ceremony that took place in the ‘Salon d'Honneur’ of Nice Airport in the presence of both Mr Gaston Franco, Member of the European Parliament for the region, and Mr Vladimir Presniakov, the Russian Consul in Marseille.
The Fondation FSA operates the Sofia-Antipolis science & technology park, created in 1969 and today considered to be one of the world’s most successful parks and a landmark of science, invention, innovation and research.
The Skolkovo Foundation began its journey in 2010 as Russia recognised the need to modernise its economy and decrease its dependence on oil and gas. The Foundation has an ambitious goal to turn cutting-edge research into world-class products, by creating a multibillion dollar unique global hub and innovation centre, an ecosystem of entrepreneurs and talents.
“We are proud to partner with Sophia-Antipolis. Its model of excellence confirms our belief that such hubs of excellence grouping together research, development, innovation and venture capital leveraged through collaborations with universities and public/private partnerships provide the route to global competitiveness and success,” said Mr Vekselberg. “Sophia-Antipolis, like Skolkovo, benefits not only the companies, academics, scientists and entrepreneurs directly involved in its activities, but also the communities and regions around them and the world at large,” he added.
France and Russia have a rich tradition of scientific collaboration, and this agreement is no exception. The cooperation agreement acknowledges that both parties will derive benefit and although it commits neither party to any legal or financial obligations, it does stipulate three priority areas for collaboration. These include training, so-called ‘cluster support’ covering the development of services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and finally participation in international research consortia. This third activity is focused primarily on participation in the European Union’s research programmes notably the 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7) and the EU’s Competitiveness and Innovation programme (CIP).
This new agreement is part of Skolkovo’s vision to build an international ecosystem of excellence in science and innovation and their applications. It reinforces a series of existing cooperation deals notably between Skolkovo and renowned research institutes worldwide, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Tokyo’s Waseda University and Imperial College London and most recently with three German institutes: the Technical University Berlin (TU), the Science and Technology Park Berlin Adlershof (WISTA) and the Science, Healthcare and Biotech Park Campus Berlin-Buch.
At Skolkovo, five research clusters are currently being established together with a technology park, the new Skolkovo Institute of Technology and a completely new city. These component parts will form a unique ecosystem for technological innovation and entrepreneurship. With three Nobel laureates, more than 330 companies, including Alstom, AREP and EADS, and an annual budget of more than 1.2 billion euros, the Skolkovo Innovation Centre is Russia’s largest innovation project and is about to become a technology hub of global importance. One of the most important objectives of the Skolkovo Foundation is to support Russia’s transformation from a resource-dependent country to an economy based on innovation.
Press contacts:
Seda PUMPYANSKAYA
Vice President for International Relations and Communication
Skolkovo Foundation
Tel: +7 917 511 7677 / +33 645 900 935
Email: spumpyanskaya@sk.ru
Marek ZAREMBA-PIKE
Burson Marsteller
37 Square de Meeûs
1000 Brussels - Belgium
Tel: + 32 2 743 66 44
Email: marek.zaremba@bm.com
Nadège BOUGET
Project Manager
Clusters and Europe
Tel: +33 4 92 96 78 17
bouget@sophia-antipolis.org
Colin RUEL
Europe and International
Fondation Sophia Antipolis
Tel : +33 4 92 96 78 16
ruel@sophia-antipolis.org
twitter.com/sk_ru
facebook.com/SkolkovoFoundation
gplus.to/SkolkovoFoundation
About the Skolkovo Foundation
The Skolkovo Foundation has the mandate from the Russian Government to help accelerate the transformation of Russia from a resource-intensive to an innovation-based economy through strategic partnerships with leading scientists and corporations (currently numbering over 330 companies and start-ups). The Foundation aims to strengthen the links between Russian and international science, technology, education, entrepreneurship and investment communities. To achieve this objective it is overseeing the creation of the Skolkovo Innovation Centre composed of five R&D clusters, a Technopark, the Skolkovo Institute of Technology (a new graduate research University established in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Skolkovo city, located near Moscow. Together these entities will establish a vibrant eco-system of technology innovation and entrepreneurship. The Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in May 2010 by the Russian Government with a grant of USD 5 billion. For more information: http://www.sk.ru/en/