In his opening address, Dmitry Medvedev said that at present Russia is facing a dual challenge: to create a favourable investment climate in general and address specific issues in the high technology sector.
To achieve these goals it is essential to finalise a list of countries that can be Russia's key technological partners, as well as to coordinate actions in attracting investments necessary for setting up R&D centres of leading global companies and promoting Russian products and services in the world markets.
In addition, the President issued instructions to prepare proposals on creating a competitive system of financing the sponsors of exported Russian technologies, on increasing the volume of soft government loans to Russian exporters of innovative products and on establishing an export loans and investments insurance system. It is also vital to optimise customs clearance procedures and the currency and export control requirements for the export of end products and spare parts.
During the meeting President Medvedev announced that he will chair the Skolkovo Innovation Centre's board of trustees.
The meeting participants also approved the list of new members of the board of trustees. Viktor Vekselberg proposed the following candidates:
Deputy Prime Minister and Government Chief of Staff Sergei Sobyanin, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Vladislav Surkov, Presidential Aide Arkady Dvorkovich, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina, Education and Science Minister Andrei Fursenko, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises Ivan Bortnik, Chairman of Vnesheconombank Vladimir Dmitriev and President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yury Osipov.
In addition to the board of trustees, the Foundation Council has also been established. Its members are:
President of LUKOIL Vagit Alekperov, Rector of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University Anatoly Alexandrov, Chairman and CEO of Bouygues Martin Bouygues, managing partner of Almaz Capital Partners Alexander Galitsky, Director of the Kurchatov Institute Mikhail Kovalchuk, Siemens President and CEO Peter Loescher, Nokia Executive Vice President Esko Aho, General Director of Siberian Coal Energy Company (SUEK) Vladimir Rashevsky, Cisco Chairman and CEO John T. Chambers, Chairman of Tata Sons Ratan Tata, CEO of the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (RUSNANO) Anatoly Chubais and Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
Foundation for Development of the Skolkovo Centre for Research and Commercialisation of New Technologies was registered in May 2010 as part of the Innovation City project. It is a non-profit organisation whose aim is to promote socially important objectives in the field of innovations. Viktor Vekselberg is the President of the Foundation.
According to the statute, the Council is the Foundation's highest management body, and the Board of Trustees is its supervisory body. In addition, the Foundation's consultative scientific council has been set as a special body of experts. Its co-chairmen are Nobel Prize winners Zhores Alferov and Roger D. Kornberg.
Before the start of the meeting, the Russian leader viewed the display stands of partner companies of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.