OREANDA-NEWS. August 02, 2012. Under the chairmanship of Board Member – Vnesheconombank Deputy Chairman Mikhail Kopeikin a regular meeting of the Working Group on Implementing the Agreement on Cooperation between Development Institutions in Securing Continuous Financing of Innovation Projects was held at the Russian Economic Development Ministry, reported the press-centre of Vnesheconombank.
 
The meeting’s participants discussed the action plan for improved access to development institutions, above all, for small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the production and innovation sectors. One of the most important issues discussed was the one of creating a fund to support small and medium-sized enterprises by Vnesheconombank jointly with the KfW Banking Group, with the fund focusing on financing the development of medium-sized production facilities. They also discussed Vnesheconombank’s proposal for the possibility of setting up a federal guarantee fund which could help to address the issue of credit collateral security for medium-sized enterprises.

In the course of the meeting its participants listened to the information on the progress of implementing the program of popularizing innovative and inventive activities in Russia.

The meeting’s participants also agreed to formulate a general plan for the development of innovation infrastructure, with the plan providing for measures for participating in implementing programs of supporting innovation clusters and technological platforms as well as programs aimed at securing small-sized innovation enterprises’ access to orders of large companies implementing innovation development programs.

The Working Group was set up to implement the Agreement on Cooperation between Development Institutions in Securing Continuous Financing of Innovation Projects at all stages of innovation cycle. The Agreement was worked out at Vnesheconombank’s initiative and was signed in April of 2010. The Agreement aims to make arrangements for cooperation between the parties in identifying needs of innovation companies and providing them with instruments, services and conditions for implementing innovation projects on the Russian territory and the global market.