BP Deal Strengthens Russian Growth Initiative

The Russian Skolkovo Foundation, which is seeking to underpin both research and industry projects for sustainable future growth has announced a £9.3 million research deal with British Petroleum (BP) in the creation of a new oil refining research centre.

The UNIHEAT project, which will focus on heat exchange and catalysis, is part of initiatives to move the Russian economy away from a strong reliance on natural resources. London Imperial College and the Institute of Catalysis in Novosibirsk are also taking part in the collaboration. As well as the oil refining research centre, the Skolkovo project has plans to include another five centres dedicated to biomedicine, IT, energy, nuclear and space.

Viktor Vekselberg, President of the Skolkovo Foundation, said: “We believe the Skolkovo initiative will be one of those projects that will change Russia.”

The Foundation has been given £2.5 billion in funding, largely from the Russian government, as it plans to create a world-class research hub. It is thought that this could also include a university campus. Around 500 hectares of vacant land has been selected for the project, which also incorporates a business park and a town for 26,000, with 2014 set as a possible opening date.

In 2010 Siemens became the first major German company to launch a strategic partnership with the initiators of the Skolkovo project. Siemens undertook to help build the urban infrastructure for Skolkovo by providing building system and water treatment technologies, public transport system components, and solutions for energy efficiency. “Skolkovo is to become a model city for ecology and the environment,” said Siemens Project Manager Alexander Averianov. Siemens Corporate Research head Dr Reinhold Achatz believes that “the focus areas of the Skolkovo project align perfectly with Siemens’ strategy, which is geared toward differentiation and sustainability in the attractive Russian market.” Siemens also plans to build one of the company’s biggest international research centers in Skolkovo at a
facility that will employ some 200 researchers and scientists.

“The Skolkovo project is the right approach for creating a suitable climate for international cooperation,” said Dr Martin Gitsels, who manages Siemens’ research activities in Russia. Dr Oliver Heid, a Siemens expert in new technologies and concepts, has high hopes for joint research in areas such as particle acceleration. And he has plenty of respect for the expertise of Russian scientists. “They’ve got a great reputation in the fields of particle acceleration, materials research, and mathematics,” he said. Particle accelerators are used to fight tumours with radiation therapy, for example. Researchers plan to make the devices smaller and more powerful. “That would be a major step in medical technology,” said Heid. To ensure rapid development of the research city, the Skolkovo- Innograd Foundation was established. Viktor Vekselberg, the Founder and Owner of investment firm Renova Holding was elected President
and the council includes representatives of Siemens. Vekselberg is not comfortable with the description of Skolkovo as ‘Russia’s Silicon Valley.’ “Skolkovo can only mark the beginning of a long road to modernisation,” he explained. “Here we want to find out on a small scale how we can solve some of the problems facing our country.” He believes that one of Skolkovo’s main purposes is to keep young skilled specialists in Russia and make the country an attractive research location for foreign scientists and companies — a “Russian bridge between science and business.”