The Forum of OPORA RUSSIA “Competing for the future today”

OPORA RUSSIA conducted Innovative Forum of small and medium business “Competing for the future today”, devoted to innovation policy’s issues. The Forum took place in Moscow.

• Testing the problems in innovative structure of Russia, potential decisions and recommendations, identifying and discussing new ideas;
• Evaluation of legal and economic conditions of creation and adoption of innovations in the Russian regions;
• Elimination of the barriers and formation of incentives and opportunities for innovative activity of small and medium business;
• Role of international experience in the realization of innovative policy of Russia;
• Presentation of the results of the survey: “Competing for the future today: the innovative policy of new generation for Russia”;
• Evaluation of the recommendations on the development of innovation system and increase the efficiency of innovative policy in Russia, prepared by the results of the survey and evaluation of their realizing. 

Entrepreneurs from 80 regions of the Russian Federation, leaders of 125 sectoral unions, associations and guilds, representatives of federal executive and legislative authorities, Administration of President of the Russian Federation, scientists and representatives of industrial sector, international organizations and foreign companies participated in the Forum.

During the Forum the following issues were discussed:

• The development of modern economy is impossible without the policy on business development, small and medium business and the effective innovation system. They are linked together to solve different problems and to apply different tools. The transition of Russian’s economy to an innovative way is a top priority and urgent task in socio-economic development of Russia.
• Small and medium innovative business is the base of economy in most developed countries. For example, the share of small and medium-sized innovative companies in the EU countries is about 40% of the total SMEs number.  The share of small innovative enterprises in different sectors of the economy is various. According to the Federal Service of Statistics (Rosstat), it usually varies from 1,5% (in the production and distribution of electricity) to 10% (in the chemical industry).
• The economy of Russia needs an effective and unified innovation infrastructure with modern innovation policy. In spite of active discussion of this subject, Russia still has quiet low level of development as of today. In comparison with top 40 developing countries, Russia takes only 35th place, increasing the gap between China, Brazil and even Turkey, based on some characteristics.
• The current conditions of SME development and innovation system do not allow Russia to play serious role in its economical development and diversification of its economics.   Simple increase in budget financing without changing the “structure “ and  management of innovation system in Russia wouldn’t lead it to a desirable results.
• Coordinated measures for development and fulfillment of the new and complex innovation policies are required for launching an efficient innovation system. Such policies should be based on short, medium and long–term events and priorities.
• The goal of the President of Russia is to increase the number of occupies in small and medium business up to 60-70% by 2020. To fulfill the expectations, a complex of measures should be undertaken. These measures are the following: additional releases of tax regulations for the regional SMEs, possible reduction of administrative barriers, maintenance with office accommodations, preparation of quality personnel, and etc. Such approach will allow creating more competitive, diversified, and less dependent on hydrocarbon economics.
• Small business development is a great challenge for the economy of the Russian Federation and a way to its prosperity.

The Russian Prime-Minister Vladimir Putin participated in the Forum. He announced the following measures to support small and medium businesses, proposed by the Government of Russia:

• The compensation of increase of taxes for high-tech companies (in fact - to keep for them insurance premium rate 14%);
• Release from property tax for up to 3 years for enterprises adopting energy-efficient equipment;
• Abolition of tax on profit from the sale of securities (provided in case the period of their possession is more than 5 years and they are not traded on the stock market);
• Exemption from the tax on profit the companies operating in the field of health and education;
• Removal of all barriers, hampering the transition to the simplified taxation system of small innovative enterprises, universities and research centers;
• Legalization of the use by innovative companies on preferential basis of the premises and equipment of their founders;
• Definition at the federal level of the list of activities where the introduction of patents will be mandatory (with the opportunity to supplement this list by local authorities);
• Exemption from the need to apply the cash registers of entrepreneurs, operating with the patent;
• Prolongation of the preferential order of the privatization of real estate at least for 3 years and the release of such transactions from the payment of Value Added Tax;
• Introduction of unlimited licensing and transfer it as soon as possible in electronic form;
• Reduction of the number of goods for mandatory certification and significant expansion of the list of activities, where  the  procedure of starting of new business is applicable;
• Additional funds from the federal budget: 3 billion rubles to support small and medium-sized innovative companies, 2 billion rubles for the programs for small businesses development in mono-towns and 1 billion rubles  for the development of entrepreneurship in the North Caucasus;
• Allocation of 2 billion rubles to support small and medium-sized businesses exporting of hi-tech products.