This year’s edition of Open Innovations — one of Russia’s top tech events — was marked by the participation of holders of Nobel, Fields, Wolf and Abel Prizes, leading Russian and foreign scientists and futurists, alongside representatives of corporations, businesses and government bodies. They shared their vision of the future with over a million of viewers from 70 countries followed expert presentations.
- Arkady Dvorkovich, Chairman of Skolkovo Foundation, expects an increase in basic energy resources demand, while investments in their production will decrease.
- Kirill Ignatyev, Chairman of the Board of directors of the Russian Investments group, is staking on economy customization, space researches breakthrough, food biotechnologies development, micro-power and eco-tech.
- Columbia University professor Sheena Iyengar and Russian health minister Mikhail Murashko predicted the development of affordable medicament for COVID-19 treatment at different stages of the disease.
- Rae Kwon Chung, Nobel Peace Prize 2007 winner, believes that “carbon capture, preservation and storing technologies, as well as hydrogen production technologies will be playing a leading role in the nearest future, and dramatically influence the world’s development.”
- Edvard Moser, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine 2014, said: “In neurobiology, we will see the emergence of technologies that will allow us to watch activity of thousands of neurons as cognitive tasks are being fulfilled. By turning on or off the activity of particular target cells, we will be able to better understand the brain function and efficiently treat a wide range of psycho-neurological diseases.”
- Kip Thorne, Nobel Prize winner in Physics 2017, anticipates the discovery of “a new quantum state.” He believes that, after several decades of quantum technologies development, this new quantum state “will become the basis for gadgets that will change people’s life.”
Among other participants in the event were Jean-Marie Lehn and Aaron Ciechanover, Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry (1987 and 2004); Thomas J. Sargent, Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences (2011); Robert Metzke, Global Head of Sustainable Development at Royal Philips; Anatoly Chubais, Russian Presidential Special Envoy for Relations with International Organizations on Sustainable Development; and Martin Reeves, BCG Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG.
These thought leaders gave their forecasts to a ‘time capsule.’ These anticipations will be disclosed and checked for accuracy at the next edition of Open Innovations in late 2022.
New innovation facilities at Skolkovo
Several agreements were signed on the sidelines of the event. Skolkovo, the international tech hub on the outskirts of Moscow (now part of VEB.RF), agreed with Cybersteel, a leading supplier of stainless steel pipes, on developing a 3,000 sq.m. R&D center for innovative approaches in advanced manufacturing, nuclear and space technologies.
Skolkovo will also host a new tech park for “greener technologies, production processes and supply chains,” developed in partnership with Russian company Helyx.
Open Innovations also highlighted the developing relationship between Russia and China in the field of innovation. A joint exhibition was set up by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China — the latter being an official partner of the event for the second time,
The Russian science ministry also presented a special business program dedicated to the Year of Science and Technologies in Russia.
