OREANDA-NEWS. January 29, 2010. Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin signed an agreement in Moscow today with the general director of Rusnano, Anatoly Chubais, on strategic partnership in introducing and commercializing nanotechnology in railway transportation, reported the press-centre of RZD.

The agreement sets out a mechanism for introducing and promoting innovation, including nanotechnology products, in the railway sector.

Work under the agreement will allow RZD to meet rising quality demands in transport services, and increase transport volumes, freight tonnage, and track speeds. Under the agreement, RZD and Rusnano will determine the most promising areas in which nanotechnology products can be applied, and the regions and company subdivisions in which to implement comprehensive projects. The companies plan to develop a system for statistical monitoring of the effectiveness of nanotechnology, in order to create an information base for management decision-making. In line with the agreement, the parties also intend to combine resources to draw up regulatory and legal documents aimed at improving Russian legislation in the innovation sphere.
 
*****
Russian Railways is one of the largest rail companies in the world, with a colossal volume of freight and passenger transport, high financial ratings, high-level specialist qualifications in all fields of rail transport, a large scientific-technical base, large designed and built capacity, and substantial experience in international cooperation.

The Russian rail network is one of the world’s most extensive transport systems, with 86,200 km of track in use, and its electric power line network is the global leader, at 42,900 km. RZD accounts for around 43% of national freight turnover (taking into account pipeline transportation), and more than 39% of passenger turnover. In 2009, the network transported more than 1.1 billion tons of cargo, and more than 1.1 billion passengers on long-distance and suburban routes. Contact information: tel. +7-499-262-66-70. Official site: http://rzd.ru.
 
*****
The Russian nanotechnology corporation Rusnano was founded in 2007 to implement state policy in the nanotechnology sphere. Rusnano accomplishes this task by co-investing in nanotechnology projects with significant economic or social potential. The corporation’s aim is to stimulate growth in the Russian nanotechnology industry to an annual production level of 900 billion rubles by 2015. By this date, the volume of nano-product sales by companies that receive investment from Rusnano should reach at least 300 billion rubles per year.

The corporation’s supervisory council has already approved 62 projects at a total cost of 193.6 billion rubles, of which Rusnano will provide 91.3 billion rubles in investment. On the www.rusnano.com website, you can find full information on the company’s activities, and apply for project financing. Contact information: 117420, Moscow, ul. Nametkina, 12А. Tel. +7 (495) 5424444, fax +7 (495) 5424434, e-mail info@rusnano.com. Press service — press@rusnano.com.