Qatar Foundation’s technology hub and Skolkovo Foundation have signed a MoU to strengthen economic and technological ties between Qatar and Russia.
At the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2021 yesterday, Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) – part of Qatar Foundation Research, Development & Innovation (QFRDI) –announced the latest outcome of its presence at the conference, which will see the organisation work with Moscow-based Skolkovo Foundation to further the development of technology and innovation projects.
Collaboration between QSTP and Skolkovo will significantly boost the technology and start-up ecosystems of both Russia and Qatar and strengthen the commercial and economic ties between the two countries.
The new initiative is part of QSTP’s continued efforts to play a pivotal role on the global technology stage.
The partnership will see QSTP and Skolkovo work together to facilitate market entry of their startups in each other’s market by means of bilateral business, cultural and educational events.
Startups that are based within QSTP will be able to join the Skolkovo soft-landing programme that provides in-depth understanding of the peculiarities of the Russian market, preparing foreign startups to penetrate the Russian market and get full information about the conditions and procedures to successfully integrate into the Skolkovo Innovation Center.
The organisations will also look to create a dedicated technology accelerator programme to cater for start-ups currently based in parties’ markets.
Together with Skolkovo, QSTP - that is Qatar’s premier hub for technology development, innovation, and entrepreneurship – will also introduce exciting new programmes for both domestic and international technology-focused firms and will increase activity in the fields of health and biomedicine, energy, resource sustainability, information and telecommunication technologies, cybersecurity and digital technology.
“Just like QSTP, the Skolkovo Foundation has the drive to facilitate industry-leading science and research projects for the development of innovative technology products, services and enterprises at the very heart of its operations,” commented QSTP’s executive director, Yosouf al-Salehi.
“Together, we have an important mission - to promote the exchange of ideas and know-how to foster an environment in which creative thinking and innovation can thrive. International business cooperation is crucial to the success and prosperity of technology-based industries and enterprises. Our joint endeavours will positively contribute to technology development, innovation, and entrepreneurship across both Qatar and Russia, while also benefiting users and consumers of products and services that result from fruitful innovation.”
Founded in 2010, the Skolkovo Foundation is the principal agency responsible for the Skolkovo Innovation Center, a major scientific and hi-tech headquarters for the development and commercialisation of advanced technologies.
Arkady Dvorkovich, chairman, Skolkovo Foundation, said, “Since its establishment, the Skolkovo Foundation set out to help entrepreneurs and young researchers realise the business potential inherent in their projects, inter alia, by assisting them develop their projects and enter international markets. This was achieved by building a wide network of international partners.
“Signing the Memorandum of Understanding with QSTP today supports this strategy. Moreover, it is part of our vision of enhancing international technological networks which we realize its vitality and importance today, more than ever, to achieve sustainability and stability.
“I am confident that signing the memorandum will be an important turning point in the type and quality of joint projects we will carry out together with QSTP for the benefit of the startups in our ecosystems”, Dvorkovich added.
“The theme of this year’s conference – education and science – backed by Russia’s declaration of 2021 as their ‘Year of Science and Technology’, and the strong impetus to enhance economic, investment, and trade partnerships between our countries, provides a very pertinent backdrop to our promising collaboration with Skolkovo Foundation,” al-Salehi added.
QSTP’s delegation at SPIEF ’21 is part of the Qatar’s overall participation as a ‘Guest Country’ – one of the largest business delegations to be formed for an international forum of this prominence and scale.
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