Rosatom and state funding firm join for innovation

Rosatom and Russian Venture Company have signed an agreement to cooperate in the promotion of advanced technologies and innovative developments at the Russian state nuclear corporation's subsidiaries. RVC is a Russian state institution responsible for funding national innovation projects on behalf of the National Technology Initiative.

Rosatom and Russian Venture Company (RVC) have signed an agreement to cooperate in the promotion of advanced technologies and innovative developments at the Russian state nuclear corporation's subsidiaries. RVC is a Russian state institution responsible for funding national innovation projects on behalf of the National Technology Initiative (NTI).

RVC CEO Povalko and Rosatom deputy director-general Komarov signing the agreement (Image: Rosatom)

The NTI was established by President Vladimir Putin in December 2014, in his address to the Federal Assembly, stating that, "It is necessary to understand what challenges Russia will face in 10-15 years [and] which innovative solutions will be required to ensure national security, quality of life and development of the new technology sectors."

The agreement was signed yesterday by Kirill Komarov, Rosatom deputy director-general for development and international business, and Alexander Povalko, RVC CEO and chairman, at the NDExpo-2017 Forum being held this week in Moscow.

The agreement aims to create and support activity in the development of new projects and the innovative potential of organisations that are under Rosatom's management, The "global technology corporation" has a “wide range of competencies that can become the basis for innovative development and achieving a sustainable position in the new high-tech markets of foreign countries”, Rosatom said.

As part of its participation in the NTI roadmaps, Rosatom said its strategic focus on technological development includes energy, nuclear medicine and radiation technologies, additive technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics, desalination, water treatment, water purification, and technologies for the final stage of the nuclear fuel cycle.

Komarov said combining the efforts of Rosatom and RVC would "provide a multiplicative effect on the technologies and products being created, and ultimately will help achieve the leadership of Russian companies in the world market".

The Rosatom statement added: "[They] are planning joint activities to monitor and select forms of support for technological developments with high growth potential in the Russian and global markets. The main areas of cooperation include the development of innovative infrastructure, and the formation of transparent mechanisms for financial support of projects."

In addition, they will jointly "prepare proposals for improving and optimising state regulation of the innovation sector aimed at creating favourable conditions for the activities of organizations in the sphere of advanced technologies". They will also "hold joint events that contribute to the development of the scientific, technological and commercial potential" of Rosatom-led organisations.

Roatom director-general Alexey Likhachov said in an interview for the company's weekly newspaper Strana Rosatom earlier this month that the corporation aimed to play a leading role in the world's "fourth industrial revolution". This includes, he said, additive technologies, artificial intelligence, robotics and flexible control systems. Rosatom's participation in such fields includes, he said, work by: VNIIEF (the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for Experimental Physics) in developing supercomputer technologies; the Alabuga Fibre facility in the production of carbon fibre; and the Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Fusion Research (TRINITI) on mobile laser technological systems.

Rosatom aims to become one of the three most successful global technology companies by the beginning of the 2040s, transformed from the state-backed nuclear power corporation it is today, Likhachov said.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News