Innovations

Leningrad Region has high sci-tech and human potential as well as rich natural resources and significant home market which make it a perfect ground for efficient innovation economy.

Today Leningrad Region’s innovation potential is based on academic and university science, applied research institutes, research departments of industrial and agriculture businesses, educational, technical centers, infrastructure of sci-tech and innovation activity.

Leningrad Region has:

• About 40 medium-sized and large scientific organizations, mostly state academic and applied institutes and scientific centers
• 3 state universities and 35 branches
• More than 300 small sci-tech businesses
• A great number of innovation manufacturing businesses

Total number of employees in all scientific organizations is about 10,000 people, including R&D workers – more than 7,000 people.

The main activities of scientific organizations lie within the following fields: nuclear power engineering and energy saving, nuclear physics, applied chemistry, biology and medicine, agriculture, tool engineering (including laser and radar), fishing, environment protection, territory design, industrial and housing design, engineering infrastructure design.

Most part of the research is of all-Russian importance and aimed at development and improvement of crucial federal-level technologies (fundamental research, industrial technologies, power engineering and rational nature management). However, a great part of the research is of local applied significance and used to solve regional tasks (nuclear power engineering, agriculture, fishing, healthcare, melioration and environment protection).

Regional authorities pay special attention to the innovation development of the region. The Department of Science and Innovation Activity, the subdivision of the Committee for Economic Development, searches and selects innovation projects, works out financial vehicles, creates and develops innovation infrastructure.

The department oversees work of the Scientific and Technology Council in the regional government. The Council’s mission is to encourage effective use of scientific and technological potential of the region to solve social and economic tasks, develop samples of competitive machinery, breakthrough resource-saving, safe and high-efficient technologies, materials, as well as constant study and creation of national and foreign sci-tech market.

The priority trends of innovation development in Leningrad Region are as follows:

1. New technologies in energy- and resource-saving
2. Biotechnologies and new technologies in agriculture
3. Ecology and rational nature management
4. New technologies in medicine and medical tool engineering
5. New IT and telecommunication technologies
6. New technologies for industrial upgrading
7. Precision and nanometer technologies

Federal, regional and municipal financial support of Leningrad Region innovation activity is provided in the following forms:

• Direct financing of R&D and technological projects of developing or improving various products or technological process
• Financing of interindustrial and applied programs, projects and events fulfilling the regional innovation policy
• Placement of government regional order for R&D and innovation products
• Subsidizing events (innovation projects) fulfilling the regional innovation policy
• Development of guarantee tool with Russian and foreign creditors and investors
• Financing manufacturing of competitive high-tech products by regional producers
• Leasing of state property on preferential terms for innovation activity

Every year the government awards prizes of Leningrad Region Governor and St. Petersburg scientific center of the Russian Academy of Sciences:

• Science and technology development achievement prize (“High-tech achievement” and “Fundamental research achievement”)
• Best research project (to young scientists)

Since 2006 the region has annually hosted the Best Innovation Enterprise contest, which is to stimulate innovation activity and development of business partnership between scientific and industrial enterprises; to demonstrate efficiency of innovation activity by example of the best enterprises; to spread positive experience. 

The regional government also holds a Specialized Exhibition “Science in Production’s Service” where R&D organizations of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region submit their projects to be scanned by industrial representatives and further adopted in the industry.

The regional government actively supports and develops the region’s innovation infrastructure:

• A network of business incubators
• Innovation center “Volkhov business incubator”
• Regional innovation and technology center of power engineering and industry “Sosnovy bor”
• Small business fund
• Agency of economic development of Leningrad region
• Leningrad regional center of business support
• JSC Region-Expo (high-tech products promotion)
• JSC Agency of credit support