In late April, Cisco and the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) signed a letter of intent envisioning a wide range of joint activities in the fields of scientific research and education. These include a practical training program for Russian industry professionals and government employees in the US.
In accordance with the agreement, the parties are to create cooperative programs aimed at staff development as well as joint research projects.
Some of the Skoltech students will be given an opportunity to work with Cisco on experimental research projects “in order to gain important technological and business skills,” the company stated in a press release.
One of the elements of the future collaboration between Cisco and Skoltech is an education program for administrative and scientific staff as well as entrepreneurs. That includes 7 to 14 days of training at Cisco’s headquarters in San Jose, California, along with a series of lectures at Skoltech on subjects like cybersecurity, cloud computing, venture investments, etc. The program will kick off in September with the first group of up to 30 participants.
The partnership between the two entities started in 2010 with a memorandum of understanding signed by Cisco’s CEO John Chambers and Skolkovo’s president Viktor Vekselberg. In 2011, the parties combined their efforts in developing a business innovation ecosystem called “Virtual Skolkovo” and conducted a joint contest – the Skolkovo Innovation Prize – with a prize pool of $175,000.
Cisco has also demonstrated its interest in Russia over the past few years by investing in software publisher Parallels, launching production of IPTV set-top boxes in Tver, a city 160 km northwest of Moscow, and contributing to fight unemployment in the Southern and North Caucasus Federal Districts of the country.
