The draft law on Industrial parks to be submitted to the Duma

The draft law on Industrial parks will be submitted to the lower house of parliament soon. The project, developed by the Association of technology parks in high technology together with the deputies of the State Duma, will determine what the technology park is, and define a mandatory state participation in its share capital. The Ministry of Communications considered the project as a promising one.

Financial support for technology parks, according to the bill, will be provided by the state for up to five years, the technoparks and their residents will get tax and other benefits. Today each industrial park should agree on subsidies with the regional authorities.

The draft law proposes to determine the industrial park as a form of territorial integration of commercial and non-profit scientific and educational organizations, financial institutions, agencies, businesses and entrepreneurs, interacting with state authorities and local authorities engaged in the formation of modern technological and organizational environment for innovative entrepreneurship and venture projects.

The head of the Association of technoparks Andrei Shpilenko believes that the establishment of terminology will eliminate the current situation when different departmental regulations have no generally accepted terminology.

Among the innovations of the bill is the mandatory establishment of Technopark as a joint stock company (JSC) with the obligatory participation of the state represented by the executive power of federal subjects. The state's share in the industrial park must be not less than 25% plus one share.

There are different expert opinions on the idea of the special law On industrial parks. The head of the Fund for Information Democracy Ilya Massukh believes that there is no need in such law, because the issues of technoparks’ operation are regulated by the law On innovative activities.