The Skolkovo Foundation is the principal agency, as a part of
VEB.RF
VEB.RF, or VEB (), is a Russian state development corporation and investment company. It was the Russian successor entity of the Foreign Trade Bank of the USSR, renamed Vnesheconombank in 1988 and dismantled in 1991. VEB (for Vnesheconombank) was ...
group (ex-Vnesheconombank), responsible for the Russian
Skolkovo Innovation Center
The Skolkovo Innovation Center is a high technology business area at Mozhaysky District, Moscow, Mozhaysky District in Moscow, Russia.
As corporations and individuals register their residency in the city, they can receive financial assista ...
, a scientific and technological center for the development and commercialization of advanced technologies. It is a non-profit organization founded in 2010 and charged by Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...
with creating a new science and technology development center in the Moscow suburb of Skolkovo. The Skolkovo innovation system comprises the
Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology
The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, or Skoltech, is a private institute located in Moscow, Russia. Skoltech was established in 2011 as part of a multi-year partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Globally ...
(Skoltech) established in partnership with
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
, corporate R&D centers, business incubators, private seed and venture funds, and start-up companies, as well as residential space and social infrastructure. It is a city with over 30,000 residents and employees.
Skolkovo gave a grant of $780,000 to a company called Workle, which is a service that people can use to start their own Internet-based careers, in 2012. As a result, Workle increased its remote workforce by over 500 percent, according to ''Yekaterinburg News''.
The Skolkovo Foundation has offices in the United States, and U.S. allegations have been raised concerning the true intent behind their activities there. In April 2014, FBI Assistant Special Agent Lucia Ziobro wrote an unusual article in The Boston Business Journal which stated that the FBI suspected that Skolkovo "may be a means for the Russian government to access our nation's sensitive or classified research".
In November 2013, criminal charges were filed in Russia alleging embezzlement and misuse of $1.5 million of Skolkovo Foundation money. Over 200 managers and employees were fired after a corruption investigation regarding the foundation's misuse of government funds.
Skolkovo is governed by a special law that gives its resident companies special economic conditions for running their businesses. Over 2,700 companies from Russia and abroad have received Skolkovo resident status.
In September 2021, the Skolkovo Foundation was assigned through 2024 to be the operator of governmental support for testing AI technologies for top-priority economic sectors, within the framework of the federal Artificial Intelligence project, part of the national Digital Economy program.
Resident company examples
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MultiClet Corp.
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RRT Global
References
External links
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Made in Russia:Skolkovo Foundation
{{Russia-company-stub
2010 establishments in Russia
Scientific research foundations