Roscongress Foundation to Take Innovation Space to a Whole New Level at SPEIF 2019
Innovation Space will open at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2019 as part of Building Trust, a unique Roscongress Foundation platform.
The number of projects taking part in the Innovation Space grew threefold and now amounts to 28. Young professionals will have a chance to present their projects in IT, e-commerce, smart city, industry to the investment community.
Business programme has expanded significantly as well. VR presentations, pitch sessions, meeting with young technology leaders, and over 20 panel discussions will take place during all Forum days.
“We worked the entire year to make the Innovation Space a truly breakthrough project via a variety of formats. The space is really important to us, since we strive to nurture a new generation of tech entrepreneurs in Russia and to emphasize the competitiveness of Russian companies”, noted Alexander Stuglev, CEO and Chairman of the Roscongress Foundation.
Innovation Space aims to facilitate the dialogue between the experts in innovative projects, AI and digital economy. Participants list includes Oleg Teplov, CEO, VEB Innovation, Arkady Dvorkovich, Chairman, Skolkovo Foundation, Dmitry Peskov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on Digital and Technological Development, Andrei Kuzyaev, President, ER-Telecom, Vitalik Buterin, founder of Etherium, Elena Ivashentseva, Senior Partner, Baring Vostok Capital Partners, Tina Kandelaki, Executive Producer, Match TV, Elizaveta Osetinskaya, Founder, The Bell and ‘Russkie Norm!’ project, and others.
Visitors will hear firsthand what’s in store for cryptocurrencies, how does one pick a startup to invest in, and will marketplaces give an additional push to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Additionally, this year the Innovation Space will host two major competitions: East Bound, an open international contest for developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence, and ‘Pitch Session for a Billion’ from Business Priority, a national innovative startup competition.
East Bound competition is co-organized by the Roscongress Foundation, VEB Innovation, and Skolkovo Foundation. At least five investors from the Asia-Pacific region with capital from USD 100 million to 1 billion are expected to sit on the jury. Pitch sessions will be organized on a geographical basis: major investors and businessmen from China will take part on the first day with other Asia-Pacific countries presenting on the second. Representatives from the likes of Huawei, Tencent, Alibaba are expected to attend.
Business Priority competition organized by the Roscongress Foundation, the RС Investment Fund, the International Foundation of Technology and Investment and the Digital Economy Development Fund, isn’t limited to a single technology topic. Selected projects will receive up to RUB 50 million in financial assistance for business development, while the session will provide total investment of RUB 1 billion.
More details available at SPIEF 2019 website: https://www.forumspb.com/en/programme/building-trust/.
Musicians of the St. Petersburg Governor’s Symphony Orchestra performed in Rome as part of a joint Russian-European orchestra at an opera and symphony gala concert. The concert was organized by the Roscongress Foundation together with the Art Bridge Fund.
The leaders of the Russian national team will participate in the first stage of the Tenzor International Cup regatta named in honour of Igor Chentsov, the Chairman of the Presidium and First Vice-President of the Russian Yachting Federation.
This year, the stand of Dobroshrift (KindPrint), one of Russia’s largest social projects, will be presented for the first time at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
As part of the Youth Day concept development at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the Roscongress Foundation will present a special project “The Country’s Potential. Career”, which will become part of the ecosystem of youth, social, educational and technological initiatives of the Foundation.
“Digital economy is a new paradigm for the development of the state, the economy and society.”
To participants, organizers and guests of the
26th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum
Friends,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 26th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
As in the past years, the event’s rich and substantive agenda covers a broad range of relevant and significant issues. Scientists, entrepreneurs, politicians and public figures will discuss key trends and prospects related to the Russian and global economy. They will examine the profound tectonic shifts that are gaining momentum today.
These are in no small measure due to the ongoing formation of a multipolar world and efforts by most countries to secure political and economic independence. Given this, I consider it to be both vital and timely that the theme for this year’s Forum is Sovereign Development as the Basis of a Just World: Joining Forces for Future Generations.
I should note that the Russian business community continues to be active in today’s economic reality. I would therefore like to once again express my gratitude to all those working at companies and organizations, whether in senior positions or as team members, for having done much to overcome the severe consequences of unlawful sanctions.
According to experts, the global economy will continue to decelerate in 2023. In contrast, Russia’s GDP could grow by 1–2%. At the same time, it is vital to make the most of the opportunities that are presenting themselves. That means focusing on attaining technological and financial sovereignty, forging strong ties, developing optimal logistics routes, improving infrastructure and tackling inequality and poverty.
Boosting the labour market is another priority. In order to achieve this, there needs to be a close partnership between the state and the business community, particularly with regard to introducing lean manufacturing technology and modernizing enterprises. And of course, more work is needed to optimize professional training and retraining programmes and improve the national employment service.
I firmly believe that the Forum will continue to help attain global economic objectives and serve as an example of constructive dialogue that leads to results.