Innovations

Vologda Region has great start positions in innovation and technology development. The reason for that is, first, having all the necessary resource potential: natural raw stock, developed infrastructure, high level of education among the population, considerable scientific potential; and second, for the last few years there has already been done some significant scientific and technological job in accumulation innovation potential of local companies and institutions.

Taking into account the need to increase the economic growth, the Regional Government has developed a package for improving the innovation activities in the region which stipulates:

• Working out the system of support, regulation and stimulation of innovation activities
• Commercialization of intellectual property
• Investment attraction in the regional economic sector
• Development of the regional innovation infrastructure
• Establishment of goal-oriented staff training system in the field of innovation activities

The average level of innovation activity in Vologda Region is 8.3%. According to the Federal Intellectual Property, Patent and Trademarks Service, Vologda Region takes one of the leading positions (after St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region) in the number of invention applications.

Innovation activity in the region is coordinated by the Council for Development of Scientific and Technological Potential of Vologda Region and the Expert Scientific Council.

The regional government strongly supports scientific research and annually awards prizes and grants to Vologda students, scientists and researchers for achievements in natural, humanitarian and technical sciences.

One of the main trends in development and stimulation of innovation activity in Vologda Region is establishment of infrastructure integrating resources of science, large businesses including industrial ones, as well as small and medium-sized businesses.

Scientific and innovation infrastructure in Vologda Region is represented mostly by university science. The university staff dealing with R&D is about 500 people. Fundamental and applied research and development is done in 86 fields.

The total amount of R&D financing of the four state universities in the region (Vologda State Technical University, Vologda State Pedagogical University, Cherepovets State University, Vereshagin Vologda State Dairy Academy) has increased by 31% for the past two years (81.2% of fundamental R&D).

Scientific resources of the region also include three departments of Russian Academy of Sciences, manufacturing enterprises conducting various R&D, laboratories and stations doing research in the fields of ecology, wildlife and plant protection.

Infrastructure of innovation adoption has also been extended by establishment of:

• Business incubators in Vologda and Cherepovets (branches in Belozersk, Gryazovets, Sokol)
• Industrial Park in Vologda
• Innovation and Technology Center of the Vologda State Technical University
• Technology Transfer Center of the Vologda Research Coordinating Center
• Center of Innovation Technologies of the Institute of Management and Information Technologies (Cherepovets), etc.

The existing innovation system creates conditions for the regional companies to issue new competitive products and develop new types of equipment and technologies. Metallurgy experts have developed the manufacture of high quality plates for production of car body parts, hot-galvanized rolled metal with polymeric coating, as well as designed equipment for noncontact ultrasound inspection of metal quality. Construction specialists have found wide application for technologies of quick construction of apartment, residential, office and production buildings; production of modern power efficient construction materials and units. Timber processing industry has developed production of biofuel, lines for making profiled timber, vacuum pulse timber desiccation.

Department of Science and Innovation Policy
Head of the Department – Andrey V. PATRALOV
Address: 2 Gertsena Str., 160000 Vologda, Russia
Tel.: +7 (8172) 726-356
Fax: +7 (8172) 729-523
E-mail: nauka@vologda-oblast.ru