Summer 2012 results bring Tomsk Region on top of the Innovation Rating of Russian Regions

Peterburgskaya Politika Foundation, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, and RBK daily newspaper presented their regular Innovation Rating of Russia with Tomsk Region on the top.

The rating is based on the analysis of important events in innovation activity of Russian regions in the summer 2012. Tomsk Region regained the top position after hitting the fourth place in winter.

"The region's most significant achievement is the new team shaped by Region Governor Sergey Zhvachkin," the experts explain. "The new governor was appointed in the spring but did not make any signals until now if he would keep innovations a priority. It is important that the previous government of Tomsk was the first regional government in Russia to place a real stake on innovations and achieve tangible results in the development of the region in terms of environment, business and infrastructure."

The experts point out that the "moral and technological leadership of Tomsk Region in innovations was raising serious concerns until the new governor announced that innovations and investments will continue to be the region's strategic development goals."

"However, he indicated that he would look for his own way towards those goals. Zhvachkin clearly outlined his approach – orientation towards practical decisions 'here and now'," the experts say.

According to the experts, the key governor's decision which secured the leadership of Tomsk Region was appointing Deputy Governor for the research and education complex and innovation policy Aleksey Knyazev who is well known for his involvement in the implementation of the glyoxal synthesis technology. The experts also took into account the fact that two clusters of Tomsk Region became winners of the program sponsored by the Ministry for Economic Development. Another contribution was orders placed by the municipal authorities of Tomsk Region for specific innovative solutions for existing problems in areas such as the housing and public utilities services sector, road construction, energy production and saving, and water treatment.

Very important events were the development of the long-term target program for the development of alternative energy sources in Tomsk Region together with the International Finance Corporation, and approval of the Creation of Tomsk Education Cluster project by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives. "That means that the ASI supervisory board chaired by the President Vladimir Putin will review the application of Tomsk Region in September," the comments to the rating say.

The fact that the Tomsk Innovation Forum was postponed to May 2013 raised some frustration. "On the one hand, that was disappointing as the innovation forum in Tomsk is always an important and anticipated event. On the other hand, it means that the new team is taking it seriously and needs more time for better preparation."

Other important factors that contributed to the leadership position of Tomsk Region were the development of a technology to produce cheap fuel from low-grade combustible material (sapropel, peat and brown coal) by the researchers of the Tomsk Polytechnic University, and the TPU's leadership in the amount of attracted research investments (more than 1 billion rubles in 2011).

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