Last week, 29 companies were awarded the status of Skolkovo residents, bringing the total number of participants at the innovation center to 220. Applications were reviewed by a panel of expert board members of the Skolkovo Foundation, which included Russian and foreign researchers, entrepreneurs and venture investors.
Still under construction, Skolkovo is set to become a state of the art innovation hub near Moscow. It will host a campus for graduate level education, an incubator and four clusters in a range of tech industries as well as a legal and financial infrastructure with strong government support.
The Skolvovo IT cluster was joined by 15 companies, including:
- Alset Vellen, a company developing new algorithms and methods to process DRM signals;
- Vocord SoftLab, a designer of 3D real-world objects models, based on synchronous snapshot series;
- Glosema, an innovative document exchange solution provider;
- Integrit Technologies, a new VoIP solution provider;
- Indorgou NS, a project developing an application to define locations, aid navigation and exchange short messages through mobile devices;
- Kollovear, a developer of a platform for storing and processing data with a flexible structure;
- Сolorpen Research, a virtual classroom project developing tools for e-learning;
- Connector Optics Technologies, a company developing a new approach to optical communication lines;
- Logos – agent technologies, a project developing a software and hardware system for training basic driving skills;
- SAD-COM, developing technology to switch from analog to digital broadcasting in the VHF band;
- Optic Fiber, developing fiber lasers;
- Proff-DO, an educational software producer;
- Security Stronghold, an antivirus and antispyware software publisher;
- TOYTEMIK Inventions, an innovative integrated sensor system to identify moving objects;
- FNMT, a project focused on single-photon emission technology incorporating new metamaterials.
Six companies working in the field of energy saving technologies were added to the energy cluster. Four companies entered the space cluster and four other joined the biomedical cluster.
Since the innovation center is still under construction, the resident status is still more virtual than physical, but it nevertheless provides companies with a number of tax and other benefits, as well as access to legal and financial services.
To apply for status as a Skolkovo resident, companies should meet the following conditions, in particular:
- Candidates should be a legal entity established under Russian law;
- Candidates should be exclusively engaged in research activities, and the development and the commercialization of ideas;
- Candidates should have one or more experts engaged in research or teaching activities at a Russian or foreign educational or scientific institution.
Non-Russian companies may apply through a preliminary review procedure. If approved by the Foundation’s Expert Board, the applicant may establish a Russian legal entity to become a Skolkovo resident.
Sources: The Skolkovo Foundation, Unova
