Izvestia: “Strategic Initiatives Agency and Skolkovo to complement each other”
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin proposes a new Strategic Initiatives Agency.
Putin officially launched a new project entitled "the Strategic Initiatives Agency" (SIA), the primary aim of which is to support young people's innovation activities in medium-sized businesses. The Government House has assured that the project would neither snap at the heels of the new high-tech hub Skolkovo, nor stifle any competition.
At an open forum on Wednesday Vladimir Putin personally presented his brainchild and described the Agency to those working in medium-sized companies. A few dozen businessmen came to hear the prime minister speak. Putin has already met many of the attendees at various regional conferences of United Russia; some medium-size business representatives were recommended by the public organisation Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia). Globally famous companies such as ABBYY as well as those representing new businesses were also among those invited. "The primary aim of the Agency is to support those who have already achieved something, especially medium-sized businesses. In our country, there are special structures that work with small businesses and special structures that work with large businesses, but to some extent we pay too little attention to medium-sized business," stated the prime minister. "Here we are talking about the level of innovation we are currently seeing."
Putin reminded those on hand that there are three fields of work designated for the Agency: it will advance "significant, interesting and promising projects" and those people who have achieved certain results; it will help develop a comprehensive system of professional skills which would take into account the current realities and allow for the development of educational standards, professional training and retraining and promote well-established projects in education, healthcare and culture.
In the prime minister's words, there are four main principles of the Agency's work: openness, minimising bureaucratic procedures, attracting a large number of independent experts and the unbiased selection of personnel and projects.
"The main collective body will be the Supervisory Council. And if there are no objections, your humble servant will chair it," proposed the prime minister at the conference. "I think that such direct interaction will be efficient in order to provide those who need it. The council will include representatives from business circles and heads of the main business associations."
In the autumn, the regional network will be created, which will include the establishment of the Agency's offices in the Russian regions to better "control the situation on the spot," the prime minister said. It was decided, however, that the Agency's Board of Directors will be selected in an open competition.
The Agency's official website was launched on Wednesday (www.asi.ru). The competition to fill vacancies at the Agency's Board of Directors will be conducted remotely and applications will be accepted until June 13. Applicants must register on the website, create an account, upload a resume and write a number of essays about the function and form of the Agency as well as business development in Russia.
These written compositions will then be assessed by the commission responsible for selecting candidates that will include representatives from business circles and academia. The twenty-five best candidates will be chosen for the Agency's general director and ten will be chosen for the director positions in each area of activities. The Agency's Board of Directors will be selected during the second stage of the competition through interviews. Those who would not be selected will join the Expert Council.
At first glance, the aims and objectives of the newly formed agency, which is according to a government source created personally by Putin, resemble the goals of the already existing presidential project, Skolkovo. However, the Government House denies any competition between the two projects.
"The SIA bears no relation to Skolkovo; these two projects run quite perpendicular. However, the SIA's conceptual design and direction are also intended to modernise Russia," a Government House official explains.
"There are no political motives. No one is going to undermine the other," Putin said. "I consider Skolkovo to be a good and relevant project, which convenes interesting people and innovative projects; this project (SIA) is a networking project. It will be working across the country, and the SIA and Skolkovo will perfectly complement each other. That's all."
However, risks associated with creating the SIA still remain unresolved. Some may wonder whether it is possible that the projects selected by the Agency's Expect Council will be given a green light while others will not be as lucky.
"We understand these risks. The main purpose for the Supervisory Council is to monitor and put a stop to any lobbying and any direct interaction with agents in charge of selecting the projects," a government official said.
Anastasia Savinykh
