hello again a welcome to spotlight the m.t.v. show on our take i am al green of and today my guest in the studio is alexandra johnson many scientists in russia say the country has a huge intellectual potential but a thirty of commercial use of innovations is still the case with the ship business but hesitate to invest big money into risky projects which may work but the skulk about the new innovation center dubbed the russian silicon valley can bring change investments my guest knows how to turn ideas into money. you inventions can bring a lot of money that actively applied innovative products but there's a long inexpensive way from your idea to an actual device you can use venture funds or special organizations that invest money into risky enterprises based in silicon

valley j.v. to be a lawyer he's a venture tong focused on russia it promotes innovative ideas and helps those who want to start a business in science heavy spheres alexandra is a part of the global innovation partnerships the silicon valley delegation to russia. knows the problem not to mention best from the inside tell us about them today spotlight. hello zander hi thank you for coming to the show and welcome welcome to spotlight well first of all the big news in russia these days. the two russian scientist that that got the nobel prize in physics this year well first question is we call them russian but they are russian by and they were educated in the. sure but one of them holds

a dutch passport another one is a british citizen then they work in manchester and they did their work in manchester so my impression is that the whole forests in russia when the many journalists are trying to avoid like saying there they say russia should warn russian origin that that nobel prize goes to russians well would you do that if you if you were still russian you are russian a virus into say so do you like the idea of being proud for somebody who who dumped his own country went to work abroad and became unable to swim did you think this is right something something smells wrong for me in this situation. i believe in a new category of people like them global russian mans that feel it is not matter in a longer way people were born as important that what they do benefits their mankind

and to me russians can live in moscow or san francisco or london when you place in the world russians are not gypsies they do have their own country and the end the world well i mean when i was glad when i listened to close than most of the divs address well a couple days ago when he when he gave the best teacher award he said it's pretty. that these guys actually made the discovery is a braun that he would prefer russian scientists to get the possibly not only to get the training but also to do the research here in this country. global russians isn't is a good word but but i think not for russians for the globe but not for us all and i would disagree with because to me in russian is pretty much

a state of mind it has nothing to do with the place where a person lives and when you say that russians and gypsies for sure but i would say would have to think of the roots. of russian would always stay in russian because of this deep connection to culture and everything they've been raised with the way they've received the world but their job and whatever they do in their career is say the market for their product is in europe or that whatever or the creator is in demand in the you hours because the market is still there while doubt that's what this happening i don't i don't but if you are a writer or. i cannot imagine how a poet can leave the country and i have a lot of friends who are and want to live in the u. ours but their poetry is in russian. that i would draw a line there well actually we did have

a situation when the when authors poets and writers russian lived abroad had to live them abroad but thanks god these times i wrote for now i think there is a new stage when you are absolutely right saying that if something if something is not you can provide is not in need here is in greater need or brawn so so these never so love game guys i mean i mean they're absolutely right that the when. to place manchester where where they were given a chance to go ahead with their. research but is what you are doing for russia to doing i mean investments into high turk into constructing the silicon valley outside moscow is this. for a large extent to to to to meet people stay to me not to to bring

americans here but at least to to keep russians work here in this condition i would say the venture capital is an industry is the creating jobs for the country because this is a business somewhere and one cannot just make a place money and forget about it that's what makes it different from private equity or banking so and then check out where or if we make an investment in the company and that means we become partners with an entrepreneur. it's all the bar the job creation means smaller businesses will be created in yes it's a local business or one will say we're in the business of creating jobs and helping people come from when a dear to something which can be sold or are shared with the world it's a very domestic business so in that sounds yes i would like to local and to build companies here in russia and then they want to have the place as

a market place well that's great too and we're in a position to help with that well. i heard. the floor under which these two russian scientists worked the nobel prize winners were work in manchester's called the russian floor because like all the professors there are russians what you just call global reach so global russians are really good for for england for my. just for america but. are you sure that foreign investors like yourself are ready to develop new technologies here in russia and those deprived through for more and more global russians all as. before and their world is becoming and life's more plays and in a technology world it really does not matter where it was originated there were

actually a look at the centers of excellence silicon valley is not the only center anymore and now what it was created in silicon valley is being used in russia and asia the products of all those big company is pretty much for the world so my dream is that there will be businesses in russia which will be oriented as for the domestic market that is well we should have a potential of competing with the browns on the world market and there i think it benefits russia and the. it's time. together the global market doesn't respond was doing my homework getting ready for this into your i read. a lot of people who say that russian corporate law is not very helpful for venture business for example. they say they're limited partners but i'm quoting the papers can pull out of our fund at any time and all investment decisions must go through

several levels committees and so one is it really so is it going to change is the change. necessary for people like q two to two to really unfold their business here that is a very important question because the infrastructure does matter in this business and. well if you look at the banking sector fifteen years ago it probably didn't exist in russia. or their law firms or trading major branches of international law firms and the reason i'm saying that that now you can see a very sophisticated banking system in russia the venture capital and the way see it is the last frontier which still is. the laws on which is just didn't exist to monday the needs for that particular structure and what you quoted it yeah it's right it's for this it's a mutual fund system which is adopted in russia zippy. there were

a lot of limitations it imposes on an investor and it's hard to even the fund wants to set up shop in russia the legislation is so far is not allowing for a robust structure of the way the western and us to is operating under in the west now but that's changing slowly i know people will continue to write laws and introduce them and just maybe that's what's called will do they'll make the vironment where the investor would want to work there and they won't have to go offshore so there are certain laws in any country including russia that are written for foreigners for foreign investors like russia wants foreign investors russia welcomes foreign investors on the highest level do you have a feeling that foreign investors can influence the law making process of the rich

oh i don't know what opium the law is a lawyer should do the same or less to convince his or foreign investors it costs to be predictable. as long as the rules are defined and investor knows where they're getting into yes that is crucial what is not attractive one you get in the game and those ai you start and then will tell you what the rules are. and the trailer works says i was andrew johnson president of the global to acknowledge. symposiums spotlighted will be back shortly after a break so stay with us there are no. forty two thousand americans die each year from car accidents only a thousand. seven hundred thousand people. and thirty two thousand will kill

themselves cancer in all its forms kills five hundred sixty thousand of us a year part diseases even more devastating it kills over eight hundred seventy thousand americans every year. wealthy british style stock. markets why not. find out what's really happening to the global economy with max cause or for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines to cause a report. almost seventy years of the red machine would show we had people who wanted to leave in the past.

week and to make changes the society was you need to. leave the but was it possible to change the whole country's regime so quickly. and with no. longer calls only fundamental changes in the state clinton people's minds want to change. welcome back to spotlight our get along with just a reminder that my guest in the studio today is alexander johnson president of the global technology symposium. speaking of russia speaking of investment in russia does russia have any

comparative advantage in terms of innovations except except the the the obsession of the our young president with with integrating the country i live russia has everything to be. technology power yeah. i think what is now happening that. venture capital is an very important element but one element of the innovation ecosystem and what needs to happen in the various elements of the system. that is science center university. to foster and to printers so that. they have this option of doing something with. and then invest to be able to me. but when it comes to. science which was developed many decades ago i am

a firm believer exists. so here is what our global russian thinks about innovations in russia now let's see what the mystic russians think about the competitiveness of the technologies spotlight anyone who has the details hi there today i'll try to find out if people in this country believe in the future of russian technology and whether this technology is a little bit of a little national arena. i believe that russia technologists can be competitive however it will take some time because we like the process of organization through your trips but yes directly it can today's government initiatives in the innovation sector should certainly bring results. yes but it won't happen soon because of the lack innovation good idea that there's been a large brain drain lately i think the innovation city school is the right step

towards immigrants rushing to acknowledge it. because we have great scientists great education and we're going to miss that yes but only when the conditions for development inside the country change i think our government should pay better attention to applied science out i've got me three he's got a question for our guests. like you which pressure college isn't particularly interesting for industries. yeah so what else except oil and gas that americans are ready to invest into in russia was help and so that will work with early stage companies and all the funds usually would have by sector some funds in the violence and medical device in the us and medical device or telecommunications or. semiconductors we particularly believe and material science in russia and that is why are there on this institute of development it's called the nano which helps identify those scientists

might have a commercial applications i would see material science is one of the areas where we definitely should look alternative energy as the rest of the world is worried about there are enough investments in russia which are actually quite interesting and. i definitely. may be less of a company as we see in silicon valley. space exploration you know everything around it but that's too global it's not for a small fund really to undertake well you mentioned gross manner we started by these two never show laverne game they were two scientists that were awarded the nobel prize in physics the two russians work in manchester the next day after the announcement of the in their nobel prize nominations the journalists in russia started talking about is are also now no going to bring these guys back to the

shot so so i have an impression there that this thing that this whole convo of the of the russian silicon valley is becoming too pop don't you have this idea that that like we russians say you know too much power goes into the whistle though or am i mistaken. i think the more the better route because that's what it will take for the country which for many years is dependent on natural resources i think it will to power of the russian ancient company and it's called core and other sectors and centers and i would really encourage us to think about the regions because what you're describing and small of arcade in moscow but i happen to believe that there are scientific centers in the russian far east and sabeer in st petersburg. i would say there's not enough i would say should be more russian

russia the government is greatly in the volt and all that innovative business at the highest level i mentioned the president that really is obsessed about integrating yeah this country california with the original silicon valley is located. gov shorts no really patronize ing innovation the high tech business in the valley order where he deals with mostly sewage systems and funding. on governor schwarzenegger has a lot of his plate california budget means. it's quite challenging shall we say but california also has one of the most innovative states in the country arguably in the world and i imagine the governor schwartz and there are very pleased to have companies like cisco and intel and paying taxes on this stage now spotlights there were reports that the in the

visions skolkovo the russian silicon valley is geared towards foreign investment. intel microsoft nokia and philips these group players will be mentioned as potential investors into russia innovations. despite details being. and far between it's already known that cisco systems last pledged a billion u.s. dollar investment and intel is already engaged in a joint project with the moscow school of management ways that skolkovo its the innovation design lab which will eventually be used by young scientists for their own start up projects to attract even more foreign experience and money was been granted a special legal status project participants will be exempt from pain valid income and property taxes for a decade but for the next three years you don't have to be it's going to get the

tax breaks project members will be able to work outside the technology park until two thousand and fourteen while the innovation center campuses being built president medvedev has been promoted in his bed project in almost all of his foreign visits including one to the original silicon valley in the u.s. most recently he mentions google to china's president hu jintao at the world expo engine high it's reportedly caught the eye of chinese businesses which is showing enthusiasm about joining but when it came to sign deals in the patients were not top of the waste it was the elijah sector again which again the un's overdue was worth of agreements habits die hard and russia might have to go along way before its economy shifts towards innovation. how there may be may be the russians as they're proving every once in a while are the best in physics but america's anyway the best in business still are

the best so i want to ask you do you smell profit for yourself or for american for foreign companies in skolkovo. well i'll be able ask what usually market with an investor. return for the investor. is that you trust them in the money as we do do you some little money ok you smell money for yourself which is ok do you predict the skolkovo will be not only be profitable for investors like yourself but will be profitable for russia will start making money for those who are who are who are paying to to to build it like roots of your we just saw the russian billionaire who who who is today who is spending and spending if you do make it happen well i've long been over an age but of course it's

a great development for the country because as i've mentioned before it jobs. is nothing wrong with having the best companies of the world share their knowledge and expertise about how to build companies and maybe that would bring some technologies with them as well you told us about the laws that need change the new set of rules then the government is creating for skolkovo they are better are they do you think . this innovation in it lou or making is already working. there a direction. from and on the laws which is quite noticeable already and there's of course is a long way to go but people always argue of the role of the government and someone masters just say always stay out of our way than to believe that the government can play a very important role in the innovation process it was our infrastructure and that is something only government really can take care of and of us one in the basic

research i am a firm believer that the basic research should stages that if everybody will just be thinking about how to commercialize every idea well it will not be good either so yes it will be a long term process project but. ultimately it will benefit for the country that i'm with from. ok thank you thank you very much for being with. on the show and just a reminder that my guest in the studio today was alexandra johnson president of the global technology sometimes and that's it for now from all of us here if you want to have your say on spotlight or if you have someone in mind to you think i should into the next time please drop me a line of al gore at r t t v dot are you and let's keep spotlight interact we will be back with more from stan comments on what's going on in and outside russia up until then stay on r.t.

and take. thank you if i see my president.

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thing is that just so they don't give up on the dances that still use some british antarctic treasure hunt our two joints russia's expedition team on a quest for evidence to support the country's claim to the region's vast natural resources also. the suspected mastermind of the time bismarck at last in the north caucasus arrested or killed as russian authorities declare the case so. close so more torn childhood the grim plight of afghanistan's youngsters who are forced to abandon school and start work instead as they become their families only breadwinners. and hasta la vista moscow california governor arnold schwarzenegger wraps up his visit to the russian capital with employers to try and terminate global climate change. and the world economies poised for

a slowdown according to the. nami cooperation and development o.e.c.d. says it will make activity in g. seven and will say it will last on that you know this program. warm welcome to you live from our studios in central moscow this is our team with me and isa now way first this hour we begin with our unique coverage of russia's latest expedition to the arctic scientists are spending a year on the ice investigating the natural resources of the arctic ocean russia is one of five countries who are dividing up what could be billions of dollars worth of oil and gas reserves he didn't deep under the ice are g.'s you catherine mcgrath is with the expedition as it looks for a home among the polar ice flows. to run.