| (Nanowerk News) The European Venture Capital Industry and Global Innovation Partnerships (GIP) today announce a trade delegation of 25 leading European venture capital firms and top executives of major international technology corporations to Russia. They will participate in the Second International Trade Delegation on Global Innovation Partnerships in Moscow and Kazan, April 18-22. |
| The initiative will connect European and Russian investors and innovative businesses to discuss cooperation in the emerging high technology areas, such as cleantech, biotech, aviation and space-related technologies. |
| "The mutual advantages of closer collaboration between European and Russian innovation and hi-tech know-how are immense. We are delighted to have the opportunity to connect technology innovators, buyers, suppliers and venture capital backers, between our neighboring regions," said Georges Noel, EVCA's VC Director. |
| In Russia, the delegates will meet government officials, leaders of Russian business, hi-tech entrepreneurs, institutional investors and venture capital backers. After meeting in Moscow, the European VCs and business executives will visit Kazan, Tatarstan, a Russian fast-growing region. |
| The visit of the trade delegation is organized by European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA) and GIP in cooperation with Russian Venture Capital Association (RVCA), and Investment and Venture Fund of the Republic of Tatarstan. Global Innovation Partnerships is a joint venture of the RUSNANO, Russian Venture Company, Skolkovo Foundation, and the Global Technology Symposium. |
| "The Trade Delegation follows the tradition of inviting VCs from the key international technology markets to Russia. After VC trips from Silicon Valley in 2010 RUSNANO and a number of Russian industrial companies and private investors established direct efficient business contacts with top-tier Californian VCs We appreciate that the volume of joint projects in the areas of clean energy, industrial biotech, and medicine currently considered by RUSNANO as the result of this cooperation, exceeds one billion dollars," said Mikhail Chuchkevich, executive advisor to chairman of the Executive Board of RUSNANO. |
| "Russia is becoming a major player in world VC markets. Russian companies are becoming strategic investors in large international innovative projects. This visit continues the dialogue with European VC investors that began a few years ago. This is a great opportunity for our European partners to see the Russian innovation economy in greater detail. The European experience can give a new impetus to Russian innovative projects, and I'm sure that meeting of Russian and western VCs, innovative entrepreneurs, researchers and development institutions on a common playing-field will catalyze this process," said Evgeny Kuznetsov, Director of Department of Development and Communications at Russian Venture Company. |
| "We support all investors in high-technology, both local and international. If they are focused on global success, then by nature they are international. We look forward to meeting with our business partners and strategic European partners. We will demonstrate to them our most promising startups founded by successful entrepreneurs," said Alexey Sitnikov, Director of International Development Department of Skolkovo Foundation. |
