Luo Songsong

    songsongluo@126.com

    STARTUPS from the IT sector of Russian Skolkovo Innovation Center are seeking collaboration in Shenzhen. Meanwhile, local high-tech giants like Huawei and ZTE will probably establish research centers with them after Microsoft, Samsung, Intel and more global companies.

    Launched in 2010, Skolkovo is a non-profit government-run foundation, bringing scientists, entrepreneurs and venture investors together to create an ecosystem in five high-priority areas of Russia’s economy: biomedicine, IT, space, nuclear and energy.

    “We have talked with colleagues from Huawei and authorized Shenzhen High-tech Industrial Park in the undertaking to select a team of startups to join our Startup Village,” said Igor Bogachev, director of IT cluster at the International ICT Expo, which closed in Hong Kong on April 16.

    The Startup Village is a major international event for startup companies, investors and potential customers. It will be held in the center June 2 and 3, and the first-prize winner can get up to US$150,000.

    “The best thing about Skolkovo is the platform for startups to meet with top professionals, share ideas and experiences, and enjoy additional support to create new things,” said Maxim Kostin, technical director of DigiFlak R&D, a solution provider of digital security that has its hardware manufactured in Shenzhen.

    With over 1,000 startups, the innovation center yielded a total of US$600 million in revenue last year, of which the IT cluster accounted for two-thirds. Bogachev said that the startups have to localize their products and seek collaboration if they want to achieve success in the Chinese market.

    Do-Ra, another resident of the innovation center, has been working with China since 2012 through a representative office in Shenzhen and is planning to make all of its production lines in two factories in the city.