show on our take i'm 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 not the case with the ship business but hesitate to invest big money into risky projects which may not work out but hopes are the skolkovo 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 they're actively applied innovative products but there's a long inexpensive way from your idea to an actual device or hands venture funds or special organizations that invest money into risky enterprises based in silicon valley we have j.v. to be all wrong 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 best is from the inside tell us about them today spotlight. hello sandra hi thank you for coming to the show and welcome welcome to spotlight well first of all the big news in russia these days are. the two russian scientist physicists that that got the nobel prize in physics this year well first question is we call them russian but they're russian by and they were educated in russia 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 this is russian war and russian origin that is that nobel prize goes to russians well would you do that if you if you were still russian you are russian 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 a noble prize winner did you think this is right something something smells wrong for me in this situation. are i believe in a new category of people like them global russian man's that feeling does 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 their and 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 that it's pretty. that these guys actually made the discovery's 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. i would disagree with because to me in the russian is pretty much a state of mind it has nothing to do with the place where a person lives and when he said that person's and jim says for sure but i would say

look 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 perceive 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 that's that's what this happening i don't i don't but if you are a writer or you know 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 thank god these times a rover 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 and is in greater need abroad so so these never sell of. guys i mean i mean they're absolutely right that they were . to place manchester. 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 to to keep russians work here in this

condition i would say the venture capital is an industry where is the bar 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 what all if we make an investment in a company and it means we become partners with an entrepreneur. it's all about the job creation and means of the smaller businesses will be created and 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 sense yes i would like to local entrepreneurs build companies here in russia and if they want to have the place as a marketplace well that's great too and where in a position to cope with that well. i heard. the

floor under which these two russian scientists worked the nobel prize winners will work in manchester is called the russian floor because like all the professors there are russians what you just call global russians is i 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 from more and more global russians all as. before and their world is becoming in 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 sounders of axons silicon valley is not the only center anymore and

now what 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 our star which will be oriented as for the domestic market that is well we should have a potential of competing with the global browns on the world market and there i think it benefits russia the. it's time stand together the global market doesn't resonate 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 you 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 trade in 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 on. the laws on which is just didn't exist to come one day 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. 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 so far is not allowing for a robust structure of the way that western and us to is operating under in the west so well that's changing slowly you know we 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 laws in any country including russia that are written for foreigners for foreign investors like russia once foreign investors in russia well foreign investors on the highest level do you have a feeling that foreign investors can influence the law making process and rich oh i am what opium the law is a lawyer and should be the same or must it can last for years all foreign investors

it cost to be predictable. as long as the rules are defined and investors knows what they're getting into yes that is crucial water is not attractive one you get in the game and they say oh you started and then will tell it will the rules are all doubts that trailer works says i was andrew johnson president of the global to acknowledge. symposiums spotlighted will be back shortly after break self say with the no. closure is that so much i'm afraid we're going to make a lot of people here yeah but give you an alternative media outlets for challenging the dominance of traditional heavyweights in all languages why are viewers looking

for alternative. forty two thousand americans die each year for our absence will be 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 here part disease is even more devastating it chills over eight hundred seventy thousand americans every year.

welcome back to the spotlight i'll get along with just a reminder that were used in the studio today is alexander johnson president of the global technology symposium. speaking of russia speaking of investment in russia those have any

comparative advantage in terms of innovations except except the the obsession of the our young president with with innovative country. russia has everything to be. technology power yeah. i think what is now happening that. venture capital is an element of a very important element but one element of the innovation ecosystem and what needs to help fund various elements of the system and to me that is science centers university areas need to foster and to printers so that students might know they have this option of doing something with their great ears and then investors need to be able to me the entrepreneurs but when it comes to science deep science which was developed many decades ago i am

a firm believer it still exists and not everybody has one. russian thinks about innovations in russia now let's see what the mystic russians think about the competitiveness of their 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 technologies and whether this technology just a little bit of the international arena. she's just not i believe that russia technologist can be competitive however it will take some time because we like the process of organizational reasons to order your chips but yes directly account today's government initiatives in the innovation sector should certainly bring results over stimulants you're done with yes but it won't happen soon because innovation good idea that there's been a large brain drain like honestly lately i think the innovation city skolkovo is

the right step towards immigrant future rushing to acknowledging this misleading absolutely because we had a great scientist with a great education and was not interested yes but only when the conditions for development inside the country change i think our government should pay better attention to and applied science out i've got me that he's got a question for our guests. like you which pressure college isn't particularly interesting for investors you. know so what else accept. that americans are ready to invest and invest. all venture funds usually or different sector some funds and balance and medical device medical device or telecommunications or. semiconductors we particularly believe and material science and russia and that is why this institute of development all. helps

identify those scientists who might. like. i would see material science is one of the areas where we definitely should work 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. maybe less of the companies we see in silicon valley or space exploration you know everything around it but that's to global it's not for our small fun real it or on the tag well here you mentioned gross nano we started by these two never sell the very end game that they the 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 a nobel prize nominations the journalists in russia started talking about is are

also nano 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 arcadian 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 russia in russia the government is greatly involved in all that innovative business at the highest level i mentioned the president that really is obsessed about innovating in 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. all governor schwarzenegger has a lot of his plate california budget means. is 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 they're very pleased to have companies like cisco and h. be. paying taxes on this and in the state now spotlights there were reports that

the in the visions in skolkovo the russian silicon valley is geared towards foreign investment. cisco going 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 in money has been granted a special legal status project participants will be exempt from paying very income and property taxes for a decade but for the next three years you don't have to be at school good 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 campus is been 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 join in but when it came to sign deals in the nations when not top of the east it was the elijah sector again which gained billions of dollars worth of agreements old habits die hard and russia might have to go alone way before it economy shifts towards innovation. houser maybe and maybe the russians as they're proving every once in a while our 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 skullcap. while i will be able ask what usually market with an investor. return for the investor. so you trust in the money as we do do use a 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 a leg look to your we just saw the russian billionaire who who who is today who's spending and spending if you do make it happen well i've long been over the age but

of course it's a great development for the country because as i've mentioned before it preserve 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 in the lawmaking is already working. there a direction. from london in 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 some of us to just say always stay out of our way and to believe that the government can play a very important role in the innovation process because our infrastructure and that is something only government really can take care of investment 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 obviously ultimately it will benefit for the country and that i'm a firm believer in that ok thank you thank you very much for being. on the show and just to remind 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 finished it to me next time please drop me a line that alberto at alla t t v dot are you and let's keep spotlight into that we will be back with more from stan comments on what's going on in and outside russia until then stay on r.t.

and take a. thank you if i see the president. every month we give you the future we help you understand how we'll get there and what tomorrow brings the best in science and technology from across russia and around the world to join us for technology update on our g.

in some petersburg ots available in grown to chill europe grand hotel emerald marco polo blue the club schoolteacher so-called photo olympic gold circus or told us really a ski corinthian if ski permits reticent to say yes we want to. go twenty two look you think of scope for. no sort of.

russian explorers in the arctic find a floating chunk of ice suitable as a base for a new mind drifting ice station as part of a year long polar expedition intended to support the country's territorial claims in the resource retreat of. russian security forces killed two suspected mastermind of september's market blast in logic a cause of the republican office said here was three others arrested after a shootout in the authorities say become two of those involved in the north caucuses atrocity which killed nineteen is a. us secretary of state hillary clinton invisible grade pressing president boris johnson to open up talks with the self declared independent breakaway republic of congo. right now the of rough and tumble is no holds barred debate next. host and his guests ask why alternative media

sources are becoming so popular. hello and welcome to cross talk i'm peter all about the battle of the airwaves new and alternative media outlets are challenging the dominance of traditional heavyweights in all languages why are viewers looking for alternative news reporting and in how is this challenging the media environment plays.