RVC and Moscow Innovation Center got acquainted with innovation system of United Kingdom Universities

In August 20, 2013 in Downing College (Cambridge, United Kingdom) the delegation of 30 representatives of Russian Universities, Funds and Government bodies have taken part in the seminar on technologies transfer and creation of innovation ecosystems. Leading experts of British University Centers of technologies transfer, workers of venture funds and scientific-investigation institutions have reported about what difficulties can appear in the process of commercialization technologies creation, and offered number of solutions, which can help in solving the most typical problems for new innovation centers.

Special attention has been paid to key elements of scientific knowledge commercialization syste, - attraction of various types of investors, consultative and legal support from the Universities` side, importance of a united scientific-entrepreneurial society, scientific work`s results publishing in leading magazines, legal component of innovation sphere.

Traditionally Russian and English Universities have a lot in common – strong traditions in fundamental science and education. But during the last 20 years the United Kingdom has made a jerk in commercialization of scientific openings, and created one of the leading technology-entrepreneurial societies all over the world.

Director on strategic communications of RVC Yevgeny Kuznetsov considers the British experience to be very important for Russian Universities` development: “Universities society in Russia actively transforms. Within the limits of many Government supporting programs for Universities, the opportunity appeared of forming more modern forms of management system for innovation and scientific activity. This chance is necessary to be used in a full scale, and in this connection it is necessary to widely learn the most progressive forms of modern Universities organization, including its high-tech part – technologies transfer and organization of Universities` innovation ecosystem. The British experience in this aspect is very interesting for us”.

“Russian Universities should become the main driver for development of innovation economy of the country. It is necessary to contribute to their close cooperation with international innovation society, both for getting experience in the sphere of technologies commercialization, and Russian products entering the global market”, - noted Yekaterina Bulycheva, deputy of director general of the Moscow Innovation Center.

Among speakers there were representatives of British State Organization UK Trade & Investment, the leading scientific publishing house Nature Publishing Group, Centers of technologies transfer of Oxford and Cambridge Univarsities, the Venture Fund TTP Ventures, inter-university Center of stable medicine innovations support CASMI. The seminar has been organized with the aim of experience exchange and international connections strengthening in the sphere of innovations by Russian Venture Company and Moscow Innovation Center with assistance of UK Trade & Investment.

During further days the delegation gets acquainted with practice experience of Cambridge and Oxford Universities, Technoparks and co-workings of the London city, Centers of prototyping and innovation infrastructure of Hertfordshire county.

The event is being conducted within the limits of events series, organized by the Professionalism Development Program of RVC, the first of which has taken place in Boston, USA, and the next is planned to be conducted in November in Singapore and Hong-Kong.