Posted: April 30, 2009

(Nanowerk News) On the 28th and 29th of April the representatives of Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (RUSNANO) and the Finnish Nanotechnology Development Institute FinNano discussed the possibilities to implement the joint projects during their meeting in Saint-Petersburg.

- RUSNANO introduced the projects under evaluation by the Corporation to the Finnish partners with the proposal to take part in their financing, said Dmitry Lisenkov, RUSNANO Managing Director. – In exchange, the Finns presented their own projects requiring involvement from the Russian side. Our near-term plans include organizing the joint round-table discussion for potential investors.

The leaders of the Program for developing the nanotechnologies in Finland within FinNano also held the workshop at the information and consultation center “Innovation” for Saint-Petersburg companies that are ready to lead their projects in the field of nanotechnologies to the market.

- Interest to Saint-Petersburg projects in the field of nanotechnologies from both the Russian and foreign investors keeps growing, emphasized Sergey Fiveysky, the First Deputy Chairman of CEDIPT. – it is related in many ways with the active cooperation of the Municipal Government with one of its strategic partners – RUSNANO. The Finnish experience in commercialization of innovative products and services, especially in the field of nanotechnologies, is important for both Saint-Petersburg and, more generally, for Russia.

The activities took part under the Agreement on cooperation between the State Corporation of Nanotechnologies and Saint-Petersburg Administration signed in December 2008.

The basic goals of cooperation between the city and the Corporation within the nearest several years will be the following:

* implementation of the state policy in the field of nanotechnologies; * commercialization of scientific and technical activity in the sphere of nanotechnologies; * promotion of the infrastructural projects oriented towards development and commercialization of the nanotechnologies; * training and advanced training of specialists in the sphere of nanotechnologies.

The Corporation has already held three workshops with the innovative companies, financial institutions and representatives of the innovative infrastructure at ICC “Innovation”. Rusnano also discussed with the innovative community of the city a possibility for creating NanoFab (a new territory of the innovative development that will unite high schools, science and education, infrastructure, innovative companies) in Saint-Petersburg.

The amount of investments from Finland into Saint-Petersburg economy in 2008 comprised $480.3 mln. (8% of the total amount of the foreign investments and 4th place among all countries), whereas the same value in 2007 was equal to $171.1 mln. (2.7% in the structure of the foreign investments).

The number of Finnish companies in the field of nanotechnologies has increased threefold within last 4 years and nowadays it surpasses 200. Last year private investments to the sector of nanotechnologies has exceeded the amount of money spent by government. 65 companies among those 200 now have the commercial products or processes (27 in 2004).

The basic segments, where the companies specializing in nanotechnologies in Finland have their business, are chemistry, IT-technologies, medicine, timber industry, power saving. In 2008 the income of the Finnish companies using the nanotechnologies exceeded 300 mln. Euro. Investments into the nanotechnologies increased by 33.6%. The growth of product export volume within the nearest several years will become one of the basic goals of the companies introducing the nanotechnologies in Finland.

The Program for developing the nanotechnology by FinNano organized by the National Finnish Agency on financing the technologies and innovations is in force in the country within the time period from 2005 to 2010. The amount of investments into the program comprises about 70 mln. Euro. The program goal is to stimulate the studies in the sphere of nanotechnologies in the clusters perspective for the country economics and to improve the commercial attraction of the nanotechnologies.