Earlier this month Panasonic opened its R&D center in Skolkovo, the international tech hub under completion on the outskirts of Moscow, following an agreement signed in December 2014.
Panasonic thus became the first Japanese company to sign up as a Skolkovo partner. The agreement commits Panasonic to deploying at least 30 workers from its Russian representative office at the R&D center by 2017 – an operation that will cost the company around 160 million rubles (approximately $3 million at the current exchange rate), according to the Skolkovo Foundation.
The center will focus its research on coming up with energy efficiency solutions for the Russian technology and energy sectors. Panasonic’s priority R&D areas are alternative energy sources, in particular solar panels, electricity storage systems and fuel cells.
The center will also work on unique technologies developed by the company itself, such as robotic Blu-Ray libraries and echo-vizualisation systems, which are in need of fine-tuning in preparation for the Russian market.
In addition, Panasonic will provide Skolkovo’s resident companies with R&D support, including training and acceleration programs, and organize running competitions.
“We are excited about the opportunity to apply the advanced solutions made by our engineers, such as robotic Blu-Ray library echo-visualization, in the development of the first innovation center in Russia,” said Junichi Suzuki, general director of Panasonic Russia.
He expressed hopes that Panasonic’s energy-efficient technology for smart cities will be used in the Skolkovo Innovation Center infrastructure.
In September, Skolkovo resident EnSol announced it had entered a cooperation agreement with Panasonic to produce a new type of energy-saving battery for forklift trucks. EnSol manufactures lithium-ion batteries like those present in smartphones, a technology that, when adapted for warehouse vehicles, would allow the trucks to power up in 90 minutes rather than overnight.
Skolkovo began developing relations with Asian countries several years ago. Vekselberg visited Japan in 2012, seeking partnership with big Japanese corporations.
Skolkovo’s 60 international partners also include Boeing, Cisco Systems, EADS, GE, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Siemens, Nokia and Samsung.
