Technology parks in Russia: to be or not?

Innovations today are the most important factor in formation of the national competitiveness. Innovativeness is a feature of developed economies. Therefore, the establishment of a national innovation and investment sector should be on one of the first places among the methods of increasing the economic development of the state. First of all, the formation of such a system helps the innovative projects to be implemented and found by customers. For this purpose structures, contributing to a more close cooperation between science and industry were created in Russia: industrial, industrial and technology parks, innovation and technology centers and innovation-industrial complex. 

Among the tools allowing the import substitution, as well as localizing production, increasing non-raw material export of the domestic economy, the Russian government considers industrial technology parks (technoparks). Under the technoparks the property complex combining the industry facilities, business centers, exhibition sites and corresponding industry are meant. Since the main objective of the technopark is to develop and introduce new technologies into production, it must include a scientific and research basis, which is based on scientific and research institutes and educational institutions. Perhaps that is why the first technopark in Russia were opened in all university cities.   

Innovation and technology centers (ITC) are also connected with the technoparks. They were opened on the basis of industrial enterprises to ensure communication of small business and industry. Their main feature is maintenance of established small innovative enterprises that have passed the difficult stage of creation, formation and survival in the initial period of their activity. Significant support was provided by the state. Later, there was an interlacing of these types of infrastructures and further development led to the formation of innovative-industrial complexes (IIC). ITC differs from IIC by the scale of production.

The practice has shown that a greater effect is achieved when the parks are created at the industrial enterprises. They are called industrial parks (IP). According to preliminary estimates, total industrial output of industrial parks residents exceeded 480 billion RUB (following the results of 2015). The IP is a production facility managed by a professional management company and developed under a single concept. The concept is in selection of production areas and premises size and format according to certain task groups of tenants, as well as in specialization of individual parts or the entire facility with any branch of industry.

IP attractiveness is caused by the following factors:

• ability to form a stable industrial relations in the territory of the IP;
• "single window" principle while cooperation with enterprises of the park and flexible approach to the definition of the contract conditions;
• lease of land, buildings and facilities with the possibility of buy-out in the future;
• •rent reduction for companies investing in repair of rented buildings and facilities;
• services of infrastructure companies: energy and water supply, security and landscaping;
• information and consulting services, assistance in the implementation of R&D, training and retraining, assistance in finding investment and obtaining credits;
• subsidies from the state allow borrowing at 5% per annum for the subjects of the state, creating parks;
• return of a part of the tax payments for residents of technology parks allows to reimburse the cost of creating industrial parks infrastructure;
• VAT exemption of goods manufactured not in Russia, for example, on import of components and raw materials for production of medicines, etc.

Realizing the economic benefits, the regional authorities are interested in the creation of technoparks in their territories. For example, the Far Eastern federal district plans to launch 7 technoparks, Crimea and Sevastopol plan 4. According to the Ministry of industry and trade, 49 industrial parks and 22 industrial technoparks will be created up to 2020. It is expected that the annual total volume of industrial production will increase by 312 billion RUB.  

Currently, the Russian Government approved the support for 15 new industrial technoparks. Projects in woodworking, metallurgy, transport and agricultural machinery, machine tools, pharmaceutical will be launched on their territories. 4,2 billion RUB will be allocated as a support. 

Reference Information:

- industrial parks in Russia, total - 78

- industrial enterprises in them, belonging to foreigners from 25 countries - 205

- transfers to the budgets of all levels - about 40 billion RUB

- industrial technoparks - 16

- companies located on their territories - 930

- industry sectors: biotechnology and new materials, laser technology, mechanical engineering, medical industry, tool-making, chemical industry, electronics

- engineering centers - 30